Nightfall
by Aegis Fell
Summary: Rated T for violence, minor sexual themes and language. Plot centers around an all OC cast, with a plot independent(but parallel) of RWBY's own canon series of events. Please be warned, I took a long hiatus and then reset the story 15 chapters and have since begun revising and rewriting it. Thus, you'll notice a sudden style and tone shift around 35-36. I hope you enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

R Chapter One

(First off, I'm going to state as a note that I will not be abandoning my other story, but that at the moment, it is on hiatus. I will probably post it's 8th chapter within a week, but right now, I feel like writing about RWBY. So... Yeah. Enjoy. Or not. Your choice. - Aegis Fell)

Amber's stomach rolls, causing her to grip the handrail in the transport with increasing pressure. Leaning on the pole while covering one mouth with a hand, her eyes tear up from the bile gathering in her throat. It doesn't help that her bone white hair keeps getting in her eyes.

The view from the airborne transport was spectacular, and impressed the motion sick teen, but she couldn't focus on that right now for... Obvious reasons. Not far from her, some blonde-haired kid was having the same issue. Except for one key differences. He was 'having his issue' on the floor. A pair of girls freak out as he pukes right on the ground.

"Poor bastard..." Amber groans quietly, swaying slightly with half lidded eyes as she fights the desire to do the same as the boy.

"Oi! Amber?! Amber is that you?!" Calls a voice almost higher than hers, not that that's saying much as Amber has a strangely low pitched voice. A short, pink haired man wearing a white hoodie and blue jeans walks up, grinning.

"So it is." He throws a single arm over her shoulder, only able to do so because Amber's barely taller than him,

"I see you still have your... Issue."

"I see you're as short as ever. And-" she pauses, catching on her throat, swallowing bile before speaking again, "yes... I still have motion sickness. It's a much more common issue than people realize..."

"There, there!" He slaps her back with a grin, making her choke,

"You'll feel better as soon as we're on solid ground!"

"Yeah, I'll kick your ass..."

"That's the spirit!"

"Rosa... I swear to fucking God... I will kill you if you don't go away..."

"You should learn some manners. It would help with the men-folk." He suggests, raising a single eyebrow at her clothes. As typical, she wears a large, baggy, grey T-shirt over her slight frame, and a pair of even baggier olive drab cargo pants barely held to her waist by a sturdy belt. Besides the cloth strap holding a large, metal cylinder to her back, she's not wearing anything else that's visible. Not even shoes.

Rosa gives her a critical glare,

"And you shouldn't hide your e-" Amber, face reddening, knees him in the crotch as the ship docks. He lets out a strangled cry, cupping his privates in his hand.

"That will suffice for now." Wiping her mouth on her arm, she walks off, shivering slightly as she overcomes her motion sickness. The moment she's outside, she takes a deep breath, trying her best to quickly overcome her illness. Rosa walks up besides her.

"Now come on..." He says,

"No."

"You didn't even hear what I was going to say!"

"It was pretty clear." She answers with a grunt, starting to follow the general flow of students. Rosa sighs,

"Like I've been saying, you won't get a boyfriend if you act like that."

"Who said I even want one? And besides, you're no better than I when it comes to relationships!" Amber glares at him, at his cocky grin.

"What, you a lesbian?" He asks, voice coated in honey,

"What kind of a question is that?! Bastard!" He laughs,

"I'm just kidding, Amber. You need to learn to take a joke. I mean, we've known each other for a while, since you came to Signal.

"Yes. And every day, I regret not killing you when we first met."

"Oh come on-" a concussive shock wave hits their back,

"You hear that?"

"Oh nevermind, probably some dunce messing around."

They fall into silence, Amber seeming to tolerate Rosa's presence, and Rosa refraining from TRYING to piss her off. It doesn't last long.

"Do you know where you're going?"

"Nope." She answer, "Nor, honestly, do I care. I'm just following everyone else, who seems to know where they're going."

"You're not much fun."

"Listen here, you little pink bitch," She stops, grabbing the smaller boy by his neck and lifting him high above her.

"A-Amber...!"

"No you liste-"

"You're giving yourself away...!" He chokes out, causing her eyes to widen and face to redden. She drops him, blushing as she looks away.

"Thanks..."

"Well it would have been pretty obvious had anyone actually been paying attention. A human your size wouldn't be able to do that. But a fa-" He stops,

"Right, right. Sorry." He smiles, "Now come on. We should hurry to wherever it is we're supposed to be." He holds out his hand. Amber gives him a cynical glare,

"I'm not THAT thankful." He makes a helpless gesture as she continues walking with the crowd.

"Whatever you say, Amber." He sticks his hands in his pocket, a faint smile on his face.

"Why are you smiling?" She growls, looking over her shoulder,

"I'm always smiling." He says, "Why don't you?" She snarls, but says nothing as she turns her head forward.

After searching for a good hour, and bitter complaints and comments from Rosa that whole hour, the two finally find where they're staying the night. A massive, wide open room, filled with sleeping bags and people. Amber growls, instinctively backing away.

"That's it. We're sleeping outside." She announces,

"We?"

"We." Turning on her heals, Amber takes the first step out. And Rosa grab her by the collar and drags the girl into the room. He drags her to a far corner, where few had yet to venture.

"Here. No one's around. You can sleep in peace and I'll keep watch for you." He says with a straight face.

"I-"

"No arguing. You have to build relationships, Amber, or you won't get along with anyone."

"Too late for that."

"Not true. I'm here." She pauses before continuing her argument. With a sigh, her legs fold up beneath her, sinking the girl to the ground.

"See. I've got your back, Amber." He says with a grin, "And I promise to not try anything with your sleeping, helpless body." Quick as a flash, her heel is in his crotch, and with a squeal, he folds up.

"Don't. Just don't." She warns. "You know the consequences." Without another word, she curls up in the corner, resting her head in the crook of her forearm, and promptly falling asleep.

Slowly recovering from his injury, he sighs, sitting against the wall beside her, taking off his hoodie, and placing it beneath gingerly between her head and arm. He slowly scratches and let's her hair, teasing at the edges of the large fox ears hidden beneath layers of white hair.

With a yawn, he closes his eyes, allowing himself to drift off to sleep.

Rosa is nudged gently into consciousness by a soft kick(Read: Punt) on the shoulder(face). Thrown a few feet by the nudge, he opens his eyes to stare into Amber's golden-brown ones,

"UP! UPUPUP!" She commands.

With reluctance, he grudgingly brings himself to his feet, rubbing his now-bruised jaw.

"What time is it...?"

"I don't care!" She snarls,

"Breakfast is being served, and I want food!"

"Then go get it."

She crosses her arms, shaking her head,

"Nope! You're coming with me! Otherwise some douchebag will hit on me and I'll break his neck."

He simply stares at her for a moment, before deciding that it would not be a good idea to call her bluff. Grinning, he throws an arm around her shoulders,

"Does that mean that I can hit on you."

"If you do," she says, planting a fist in his stomach, "I'll hit on YOU. But not in the way you'd like." He doubles over as she walks away, stumbling to catch up with her,

"Bitch." She adds.

(And that's Chapter One. And before anyone even asks, yes. I'm starting at the beginning. And no. Relationships, much like in the original RWBY, will not be bound by gender. Hopefully you enjoyed it. Till next time.)


	2. Chapter 2

R Chapter Two

(Well, I never said I would never post multiple chapters in a week. So... Yeah. Hopefully this chapter is entertaining. If not, tell me why, and I'll fix it.)

Amber has no love for food, nor does she purposefully go out and seek sweet, carb-filled meals. But there is one exception to this trend. Pancakes.

Plate piled high with at least half a dozen flapjacks, she ignores the stare she's getting from Rosa as she wolfs one down after the other. He silently pushes his plate towards her, and she plops his cakes onto hers, not even bothering to ask permission. Rosa shakes his head slowly, simply unable to put thoughts into words at this point. Polishing off the last cake, Amber takes a single swallow of water.

"The amazing part is how cleanly you were able to eat..." He leans forward on the table, grinning.

"So, any ideas as to what the entrance exam is gonna be like."

"Entrance exam?" She looks up, suddenly somber.

"Yeah, didn't you read the acceptance letter? It said that all first year students were required to pass an entrance exam after arrival."

"Oh, God..." She buries her face in her hands, "If there's any math I'm SCREWED."

"Ah calm down..." He says, leaning back again, "It probably won't be too bad." His seat makes a groaning noise, and then snaps, the bench falling to pieces beneath him. He lands flat on his back, groaning. Amber glances over the table to look at him,

"You alive?"

"Yes..."

"Damn." She rolls her eyes and stands to help him up. Someone else beats her to the punch. A tall, lanky boy in a camouflage pattern cloak offers his hand, smiling. He has light brown hair, and emerald green eyes, a round, innocent face, and awkward frame. Rosa accepts the hand, sighing.

"Thanks," Rosa stands with his help, sighing. "I appreciate the hand. Name's Rosa Howl."

"Isn't that a girl's name?" The boy smirks, "I'm Eren Verdance." He releases Rosa's hand, chuckling.

"I guess you shoulda laid off the pancakes, man."

"Tell that to her." Rosa nods Amber's way, who had begun to turn and walk away.

"Hm? Never mind me. I'm just gonna... Go anywhere else." She stalks away, grumbling under her breath the whole time.

"What's her issue?" Eren asks,

"Everything." He waves as he follows her, "Maybe I'll see you around."

"Wait!" He says, following Rosa, "Before we part ways, do you know anything about the exam? No one seems to know what it will be."

"Sorry man, I've got nothing." Rosa starts running, leaving the boy behind in order to level with Amber.

"You shouldn't be rude." She heightens her voice in a mockery of Rosa's. "You'll never make friends THAT way!"

"Exactly. I'm glad we're on the same page now." Amber shoots him a shriveling glare, growling lowly.

"You REALLY need to work on your conversation skills." He shakes his head,

"But seriously, where the hell are we going?"

"Hell if I know."

"Greeeat..."

"Excuse me, are you two lost?" Asks a quiet voice, a refined, polished accent giving it an almost comedic quality. Amber spins on her heels to face the girl who had spoken, face contorted and ready to give a sneering 'Fuck you' she stops in her tracks. Before her, in Beacon's student uniform, stands a girl with long brown hair, and big, wet brown eyes.

"No... We just have no idea where to go." Amber admits, eyes locked on one feature of the girl. Her ears. Her rabbit ears.

"Oh, you must be new. Here, I'll show you to the locker rooms." She says cheerily. She beckons for them to follow, walking slowly in the opposite direction. Rosa shrugs and falls in, followed by a somewhat stunned Amber.

"My name's Velvet," she says, "What's yours?"

"I'm Rosa. Rosa Howl."

"Amber Spring..." Velvet gives Amber an odd look, raising one eyebrow,

"Why do you hide your ears?" She asks, something similar to worry or pity in her voice. Amber's eyes widen fractionally, her cheeks reddening,

"I-I don't kno-"

"You won't be able to hide them forever." Velvet says softly,

"Eventually someone will come along, point them out, and laugh at you. It WILL happen, and you'll hate yourself for having either not been more open with yourself, or for being careless." Amber blinks twice, unable to speak.

"Is it really that obvious?" She asks, staring at the ground.

"No. It's just easy to see when you know what to look for."

"I see..."

"Oh cheer up already, Amber. You can't hide forever. Might as we-" She calmly takes the massive, heavy metal cylinder from her back and swings it into his stomach. He doubles over, trying to breath.

"Not from you, asswipe!" Velvet giggles,

"You two are an interesting couple." She says. Both Amber and Rosa take a moment, slowly looking up to her, mouth's wide.

"WHAAAAAT?!"

"You mean me and that jackass?!"

"Hey... It's technically 'that jackass and I'..." Rosa wheezes.

"Nononononono, we're not dating. NO." Amber says, shaking her head vehemently,

"Oh, are you not, oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it like that..." Velvet blushes a deep, dark red, looking at her feet and pointing to the building besides them.

"That's the locker room. If you need to get changed, you should hurry, the next exam starts in a few minutes."

"Oh! Right. Well, thanks for helping us out, Velvet. See you around?" Rosa says, seemingly having recovered. He grabs Amber's wrist, dragging her behind him as he walks into the coed locker rooms.

Velvet walks away, giggling.

"They'll be a cute couple..."

Rosa drags Amber all the way to the last locker, releasing her only to punch in the code into his locker. He pulls out a small, light set of cloth armor. He narrows his eyes as she sits down facing away from him. "No peeking." He says, slowly taking off his shirt.

"Wouldn't dream of it, Rosa." He folds it nicely, taking his time to put on the pink dyed, heavy clothes. He takes a small, wand-like contraption from the locker as well, clipping it to his belt. As a basic description, it looks like a silver drum stick with a black metal traffic cone on the end.

Amber turns around, giving him a bored glance.

"Why do you dress like that?"

"Because, unlike you, I have a sense of fashion." Amber actually starts chuckling,

"Good one, Rosa."

"And I didn't say you could turn around yet?!"

"Cause it matters what you tell me to do?" She starts laughing even harder.

"Stop laughing at me!"

((And that's where I'm cutting off for now. With luck, I'll post another tomorrow. As always, comments questions and concerns are appreciated. Just try to be at least a little polite. A LITTLE. Hopefully you like the little cameo Velvet made. As I stated earlier, I'm not certain of how huge a role the canon teams will play. Also, I'm gonna start listing the songs I listen to while I write the chapter. Thought ya'll might be interested to some degree.

"Jack Sparrow" by Hans Zimmer

"Die" by Jeff Williams

"Caffeine" by Jeff Williams(Where I got the idea for Velvet's cameo)

"You and Me Both" by the Classic Crime

Well, until next time.))


	3. Chapter 3

R Chapter Three

(Yes. I am, as I have been told, 'pumping out chapters' considering I wanna get through the exam and into an area where I can start to develop the plot at will, with all four characters at hand. Oh. By the way, there are approximately 205 days until Volume Three at this point in time(12/11/14).)

A sour expression still on his face, Rosa follows after Amber, a hint of the laugh and smile she had earlier still on her face. They follow a multitude of signs and students, making their way to a cliff side over looking a lush, vibrant forest. Glynda Goodwitch, one of the professors, stands at it's edge, near a long line metal plates running parallel to the cliff. A man with white hair, tiny sunglasses, a cane, and a green suit stands beside her. Most students had already gotten onto the plates, standing still as the man in green speaks.

Amber slips onto one of the two remaining plates, Rosa taking the one on her left.

"-ese teammates will be with you for your remaining years at Beacon. It is in your best interest for you to be partnered up with someone you can work well with."

"Laughable..." Amber growls under her breath. A girl, who looks WAY too young to attend Beacon, whines audibly.

"That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

"WHAT?!" The little girl exclaims.

"Once you have partnered up, head to the northern end of the forest, you will meet opposition on the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you WILL die.

"You will be monitored and graded along your way, but the instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path. Each pair must claim a relic from this temple and return to the top of this cliff. Now, are there any questions?"

The kid who threw up on the transport raises his hand.

"Yeah, uh, sir...?"

"Good!" The man in green exclaims, "Take up your positions.

"So... Are you dropping us off or something?"

"No. You will be falling."

"Did you hand out parachutes, or..."

"No. You will be devising your own landing strategy." Rosa is suddenly launched off the pad into the air, crying out in surprise as he vaults over the cliff. Amber barely has enough time to crouch before she too is thrown by the pad.

She spins, trying to gain balance midair. Instead, she sends herself right into Rosa's stomach.

"Good enough!" She snarls. Tucking him beneath one arm, she slings the cylinder on her back off, placing her hand in a hole at it's base. She points the drum towards the ground, which is quickly growing larger and larger, and audibly grunts as she pulls something inside the metal drum. With a whir and series of sharp clicks, the center of the drum quickly fans out, snapping open into a wide, circular shield. Amber removes her hand, huddles against the shield, and wraps Rosa, who'd been serenely watching her the whole time, in her arms.

"This is gonna fucking hurt!" She roars as the first of many trees splinters against the shield.

Like comet, the slam into the ground, digging a shallow trench as the shield pushes through the dirt.

"Well..." Rosa says once they'd stopped. "I guess this makes us partners?" He grins, adjusting his position in her arms. Amber slowly closes her eyes, breathing deeply. She opens her mouth incrementally, face slowly reddening.

"GET OFF ME YOU STUPID FUCKING PIECE OF FUCKING SHIT DON'T YOU KNOW IT'S RUDE TO LIE ON PEOPLE FOR NO FUCKING REASON, ASSHOLE!?" She grabs him by his padded shoulders, throwing him off of herself. She stands slowly, swaying slightly as blood trickles down from her hairline.

Gathering up her shield, she looks North, seeing the other students flying through the air.

"We should go." She says softly.

"Wait, Amber." Rosa says, walking closer to her, "Your head. It's bleeding." She quickly wipes the blood from her face, shaking her head.

"It's nothing. Don't worry."

"Amber. I'm a healer. Let me do my job." Eyes determined, he flips out his cone-wand, letting it telescope out, and the cone to flip outwards, like a blooming flower. With bladed petals. Dozens of vials of dust sit on a dais in the now exposed chamber of the staff. Softly, he brings an open hand close to her head, dust spiraling around it in a gentle torrent. Amber watches with tense anxiety as the blood evaporates and the sound seals.

"You used up a lot of aura in the landing. Don't push yourself, or you may get more than a little scratch." He warns as the cone folds back up on itself, sealing away the large amount of dust within.

"Anyhow, we should go. As you said." He says, gesturing for her to lead the way.

"Ladies first." Amber only nods, taking the lead, shield open at her side, easily covering almost her entire body from the right.

"So... What is that thing, anyway? Just a shield?"

"No. It's a shield, a heavy gauntlet club, and a high charge arc cannon. It was named Locked Truth."

"That sounds... Excessive."

"All is fair in love and war." She growls, "And we are most certainly at war. So, what about yours?"

"Shrine Petal? Ah, it's a glorified dust storage container. It keeps almost all the dust I'll need for days in ready supply, so it's good for someone like me, who has no strength. Unlike you, I can't blow through a dozen trees and survive."

"You could probably do it." She notes as he draws level with her, both stepping in time,

"You just need training. And a lot of it."

"Oh my god..." He says, mouth gaping.

"What?! Is something wrong?!"

"You're being kinda nice!"

"Asswipe."

Rosa takes a step away, grinning ear to ear,

"So... You actually ARE a Faunus." She jolts, gritting her teeth.

"You shouldn't hide." He continues, looking straight ahead,

"The people here seem to not care about race."

"What would you know...?" She growls, knuckles turning white as she squeezes her hands into fists.

"You don't know anything about what it's like, so why don't you do yourself a big favor and not bother me about it again. Okay? Okay."

Rosa closes his eyes, nodding once, then, with renewed vigor, he announces,

"Okay! So where are we going?"

"North."

"How can you tell?" He asks, leaning forward so he has a better view of her face.

"The sun, it's not quite to midday yet, so it's faced towards the East, headed West. Most everyone knows this. It's fairly easy to use that information to figure out which way is North. And I figured as a general idea of common sense, that it would be AWAY from the massive cliff we just came from."

"... Now that I think about it I probably just shouldn't have asked. Wait... But didn't you fail geography at Signal?"

"Professor Mordred and I didn't exactly get along."

"Oh, right, he was..."

"Yeah. Anti Faunus. That was back when I didn't hide my ears, if you remember." Rosa nods, sighing.

"I'm sorry."

"I don't want your pity." She snarls. "We need to get moving. If we keep going at this pace, I doubt we'll ever make it." Several gunshots pierce the air, echoing against the canyon wall.

"Someone's in trouble." Rosa says, moving towards the gunshots.

"No. They're huntsmen and huntresses just like you and I. They'll be fine. We need to go." She presses on, beginning to lightly jog through the dense, twisted trees. Hesitating a moment, Rosa nods, chasing after her.

Eren rolls as he hits the dirt, bringing out his bow and drawing an arrow in one fluid movement. After checking the area, he stands, throwing his bow back onto his back and his arrow back in it's quiver. And then gets a lovely mouthful of dirt.

Something had hit him, and hard. Whatever, no, whoever, had landed on him stands in a wide, stretching movement. He yawns, offering his hand to the fallen archer.

"Sorry. You looked soft so I decided to land on you." The man says with a completely straight face. Eren blinks twice, shrugs, and takes his hand.

"This makes us partners then?"

"Yep. I'm Dean Jaybird Burns, call me J. You are?" J hefts him up, smiling a waning smirk,

"Eren." He shakes the hand, "Eren Verdance."

((There. All four OC's introduced and formalities almost out of the way. Writing Ozpin's dialogue verbatim was a huge pain in the ass, but it seemed like the right thing to do. I'll try to post again ASAP, but ya'll know how it is. Also, just as a note, I may just listen to you when it comes to suggestions for OC's and plot twists. So long as it doesn't interfere with any of the canon RWBY material, I'm fine with it. Probably. Also, so this makes more sense to ya'll, I'm writing this on my iPhone. So if autocorrect is a bitch and I don't catch it, I apologize in advance. That's also why I don't indent.

Today's songs:

"Dream Come True" by Jeff Williams

"The Grim Goodbye" by the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

"Contact" by Trocadero

"Wishmaster" by Nightwish

Until next time.))


	4. Chapter 4

R Chapter Four

(I don't have much to say tonight. As always, appreciate the views and comments, and hope you enjoy what I write. Wanted to thank Gsusloves for his recommendations. There may be moments where worlds collide due to our collaboration. Don't worry, it won't be anything too huge. )

"Amber..." Rosa groans, "How much longer do we have to go? My fe-"

"Rosa...?" She grits her teeth, growling deep in her throat,

"Yeah?"

"Why would I fu-" A branch snaps, and Amber stops, eyes suddenly wide. She sweeps her legs low, knocking Rosa to the ground while bringing herself down low. A huge Beowulf launches just over their heads, the wind slapping him in the face. It rolls into a tense crouch, red eyes glaring out blindly. Pocked red wounds pepper it's surface, white bone spikes strategically placed in it's weak points and it's joints.

Rosa rolls to his feet, the end of his staff opening up with a mechanical snap,

"Beowulf, approximately 26 years of age, possibly an alpha." He says with an analytic monotone, Amber sighs,

"I don't need stats, Rosa. Tell me how to kill it."

"Crush it's head. Slit it's throat. Really anything that would kill any other living creature. It's not that tough... But..."

Amber groans,

"But what?" She says as it slowly circles around them.

"Where's it's pack?"

"Who gives a f-" She stops, taking a step back towards Rosa,

"This could be bad, couldn't it?"

"Could? It is, Amber, it IS bad."

The Beowulf quickly rears back onto it's hind legs, pushing off and leaping over the pair once again,

"What the-?!" Amber snarls, spinning and shoving Rosa behind her. She raises her shield just in time, the screech of razor sharp claws raking on the metal of her shield slicing through the air.

"Stun it!" Rosa shouts,

"How?!" Amber growls as the Grimm puts it's weight against the shield, attempting to force Locked Truth up so it's flaws can slip under it's protection and into Amber. However, Amber doesn't put up much resistance, letting shield fly up as she steps a little closer. The Beowulf stumbles a step forward, losing it's balance with the unexpected maneuver.

Rosa spins his staff, leveling it with the beast's snout.

"Ready?" He asks. Amber slams her shield down, covering herself from Rosa's directions.

"Go!" She braces herself against the shield.

"Fine!" He pushes a tiny button on the staff. Fire blasts outwards, scorching the ground and fauna surrounding the monster. Everywhere but, of course, behind Rosa's staff, and behind Amber's shield.

"Anyone want barbecued wolf?" Rosa jokes as his staff seals itself. He kicks the pile of ashes that was the massive Beowulf.

"No." Amber says, hefting her shield up, letting it compress and lock back into it's drum-shaped carrying mode,

"But nice try. Keep working, you may just make me laugh one day."

Rosa smolders, grumbling about her attitude.

"You want me to show you just how 'grumpy' I can get, you little punk asswipe?"

"I'm not pink. I'm lightish red." Amber stands up straighter and looks to him, a sardonic expression on her face.

"I'm just curious, but, are you retarded?" Rosa scoffs and walks forward, chuckling to himself. Amber follows after a moment's hesitation, yawning dramatically.

"Guess there's no pack?"

"I suppose not... Someone must have taken care of them. It could be that it's pack was killed by one of the other pairs." Amber nods,

"In that case." She starts jogging, grabbing Rosa roughly and throwing him over her shoulders.

"We need to hurry!" She picks up speed, Rosa's head bumping tree limbs and his own staff regularly, he grimaces.

"Slow down a bit!"

"Why? This is great!"

"Well fi-gyahck!" A branch goes in his mouth, snapping off as he bit down on it. He spits out the piece of wood.

"First off, there's the whole 'this hurts' thing!" She jumps over a ditch, making Rosa groan as they land roughly.

"Secondly..." He moans, "Humans... Aren't this fast or strong..."

"Eh, who cares?!l" Another rough bump knocks the air from Rosa's gut. With a vengeful vehemence, his fingers carefully find the edges of her ears, sliding along their edges until he finds the surgical tape holding them down.

"R-Rosa, don't touch th-KYA!" He rips the tape off, freeing both ears at once. She trips, and with not even a single cry of surprise, they both fall into a ditch, rolling over one another. Rosa lands on Amber, his back on hers. Amber winces as she gently touches the edges of the large ears that are now visible atop her head,

"Rosa..." She says softly. He jerks, surprised. She didn't sound mad. She didn't even sound slightly grumpy. With a gentle breath, she doesn't make an effort to move,

"Tell me you have the tape..." He groans, shaking his head,

"Lost it... Sorry." She crawls out from beneath him, starting to stand. She winces, falling to a knee.

"Amber?!" She curses softly,

"I'll be fine. I think my ankle's twisted." Spinning so that she lies on her back, closing her eyes as she takes deep breaths.

"YOU FUCKING PIECE OF FUCKING DUMB SHIT YOU MADE ME FUCKING TRIP!" She suddenly explodes, eyes bursting open. Rosa chokes on his own spit, surprised by the sudden outburst. He slowly gets to his feet,

"Don't worry. I'll just heal you. It'll be fine."

"Hey, is someone down there?" Asks a loud voice. A large boy with over-manicured hair and a bulky chest plate peers down the ditch, sneering.

"What, you trip and fall? You want me to call mommy? Loser." He chides,

"Oh, ANOTHER asshole. I swear to god that I weren't able to fucking stand I would kill you both right now." Amber gives a pointed glare to Rosa, unable to see who stands above them.

"Amber." The pink haired healer says,

"That's Cardin standing above you."

"Wait, Amber SPRING?" He takes a closer look into the muddy ditch, getting an up close and personal look at Amber. And her ears.

"Wait, you're a FAUNUS?" He snidely sneers, "Oh I'm gonna take pleasure in this..." He slides down the side of the ditch, taking his mace off of his belt and grinning. Rosa stands, spinning his staff experimentally. Keeping the petals closed, it's end is perfect for impaling things. Grim expression painted on his face, he takes a step closer to Cardin.

"You stay away from her."

"Ooh, so scary. The kid who was protected all last year by this GIRL, this FAUNUS girl, is going to stop me?"

"No, but I'd be happy to~" The air behind Cardin shimmers, quickly darkening and warping. Like glass melting, the image falls away, revealing a man wearing a black cloak, jeans, and a white long sleeve shirt. His raven black hair covers one of his purple eyes. The man's hand rests his hand on Cardin's shoulder, his knife, a long, curved, obsidian black dagger, spinning in his grasp.

"I wouldn't wanna slip, so I wouldn't move too fast. Also, my friend-" h e uses the knife to point up to the edge of the steep ditch, in a tree about ten meters away, an archer in a green hood, arrow nocked and ready.

"Is a very good shot. Oh we won't kill you, but the Grimm that come for you after we make you handicapped might." His mouth splits open like an open gash, revealing sharp, pearl white teeth, and Cardin's eyes go wide as saucers,

"And I would HATE for anything to happen to you," His voice lowers, suddenly low and serious, ferociously growling

"No. I'd hate for such a respectable, law abiding student at Beacon to die in such a terrible accident. Tripping into a ditch, breaking his leg, landing on a sharp rock and crippling his arm, only to be eaten alive by the pack of Beowulf that will be here in under ten minutes. Do you understand, Mr Cardin Whatsyername?" Cardin nods dumbly, gulping.

"Good." Says the man. He releases him, spinning his knife and tossing it into the air. It lands perfectly in his boot, fitting into a wide holster. Cardin stumbles up the ditch's side, hurrying away. The archer jumps down the tree, sliding down the decline. His hood falls to his shoulder, revealing the face of Eren Verdance.

The man in black smiles sweetly, going to Amber's side,

"You gonna be ok?" She nods,

"Yeah, I owe you one. I'm Amber." She holds out her hand, which he politely takes, shaking it gently.

"My name's Dean, but my friends call me Jaybird."

"What's this?!" Rosa says as he walks over to her, Shrine Petal opening up. He slowly prepares a first aid kit, mixing different types of dust, cleaning her ankle, all that nice medical-y stuff.

"Are you being nice to a living being?!" He exclaims sarcastically as he wraps her ankle tightly. She winces,

"You listen here, you little pi-"

"Tsk, tsk," he wags a finger

"'Lightish red' prick, I will ki-nngh!" She winces, groaning in pain.

"You're messed up bad. I'm gonna need time once we're back to give you better attention. Okay?" She nods.

"For now, just try and keep the majority of your weight off of it. I'll help you since I won't be good for much else." Amber sighs. Satisfied that they had been taken care of, Jaybird goes and pulls Eren off to the side. Whispering in hushed tones, they discuss something for about... 30 seconds. Give or take.

"Ok!" Jaybird exclaims, "Since it would be wrong and unsportsmanlike of me to leave you alone in your condition, we'll stick by you until this test is over. There are no rules about teams helping each other, after all!" Rosa furrows his brow, remaining silent. Amber nods,

"Again, I appreciate this. I'll pay the favor back one day."

"I know you will." He says. He nods to the Eren, who takes off into the foliage, vanishing from sight without a word.

"Eren's going to watch our backs from the trees, don't worry." He nods to Rosa, gently going to Amber's other side and getting into position to support her. She hisses.

"No." She growls as she stands,

"I appreciate the help. But I will do this under my own power." He backs off, hands before him in surrender.

"As you wish." He says cordially before ascending the deep ditch. Rosa stands waiting.

"You go first." He says, arms crossed.

"I'll catch you if you fall." Amber sighs, nodding slowly. She starts climbing, taking her time to make sure not to put much weight on her bad ankle. A series of sharp whistles rings through the trees.

"Good news!" Jaybird calls from the top, "Eren found those ruins!"


	5. Chapter 5

R Chapter Five

(So it seems I have around 15-20 dedicated readers. Never expected that many. So. If anyone ever has any questions for me, feel free to ask. I'll answer any that are reasonable, and always appreciate feedback. I looked back at my previous chapters and realized that I've been extremely hostile in my tone during these little personal notes. I apologize, and will try to be a little more... Hospitable in the future. As always, I hope you enjoy reading. If not, then I'm a little curious as to why you're reading at this point.)

With a helpful, though somewhat testy, shove, Amber rolls onto her back at the top of the ditch, breathing hard. Rosa quickly clambers back up after her. He shakes his head,

"Let's get this done with as soon as possible." Amber only nods in acknowledgement. She stands unsteadily, putting almost all her weight on her good leg. She limps forward, refusing to give even the slightest hint of weakness in her resolve. She pulls the coiled up shield from her back, letting it expand over her left arm.

With resolute steps, she, and Rosa behind her, reach the circle of crumbling pillars. On a series of small, immaculate obelisks rests small chess pieces, half of them gold, half of them black.

"These the relics?" Amber growls, glaring at them like the chess pieces were directly causing her her pain.

"What else would they be?" Rosa says, snatching up a black pawn and tossing it to Jaybird. He grabs one for himself, stuffing it into his pocket.

"Well we got what we need, let's get out of here." The pink haired boy sighs, glowering at Amber. He strides to her, throwing one arm under hers and supporting her injured leg.

"You can kill me later, but right now, we need to get out of this forest." After a brief moment of deliberation and hateful glares, Amber nods, groaning.

The two push forward struggling to keep up with Jaybird, who's already several meters away, clambering back into the thick woods. He stops at the edge, looking back to them.

"I have a question..." Rosa says as they pass him, not bothering to make eye contact. Jaybird answers with a tired gaze.

"Why did you help us? Surely you knew you were getting close to the ruins. Plus, we're your competitors, aren't we?"

He sighs, following behind them.

"Eren, my partner, said he recognized you. He told me you two were in trouble with some douche bag, so we figured we'd help you out. Plus.." His lips split into a toothy grin,

"I always enjoy a chance to cause significant psychological damage." Rosa furrows his brow, trying to decide whether or not Jaybird is being serious or not. He shakes his head, deciding that it would be best to just stop thinking about it. Closing his eyes, Rosa tries to put every bit of energy he has into healing Amber's ankle.

"Jesus you're heav-" He stops, biting his lips before he further condemns himself. Amber stops, jerking Rosa to a stumbling halt. Jaybird slows, looking at her with a curious expression.

"I can smell smoke... And blood. There's been some kind of battle near here." Jaybird whistles, eyes scanning the area around the group.

Eren drops down from the canopy, clearing his throat as he stands. The archer glances between all three of the others, speaking softly,

"What is it? There's something fishy up ahead and I'd like to get a good look at it." Jaybird shares a brief moment of eye contact with Amber,

"Fishy? How, exactly?" He says as his gaze falls back on his partner.

"We are, after all, pretty far from the water." Jaybird crosses his arms. Eren ignores the sarcastic comment,

"From what I can tell, there's a clearing up ahead where a fire started, but it should have spread further than it had. There also seems to be some Creatures of Grimm there. I'm not sure if they're alive or dead."

Jaybird nods, taking out his Scroll with a flourish. He plugs in a thin wire, places it back into his pocket, and puts a single earbud in his right ear.

"Let's find out." He takes slow steps forward, the light and shadow warping around him, causing him to disappear from sight.

"Think you can stand on your own?" Rosa asks, narrowing his gaze in the direction Jaybird had been. She nods, grunting. Rosa real eases her, whipping out his staff and following in Jaybird's unclear heading. Eren, after a quick look around, scamper up the nearest tree, leaving Amber the only one to not move ahead. With a deep breath, she walks forward, a less prominent limp hampering her progress. She takes her first steps into the blackened clearing, cautiously stepping into the charred grass. Dozens of Beowolves lie dead in the black ground, slowly vaporizing. A man in a white cloak stands in the center of the clearing, a black sword with a wing-like hilt impaling the ground besides him. His hood is down, giving Amber a clear view of his face. Youthful, with a cold, blue eye and long, golden hair, yet somehow lacking. Lacking in light? Rosa stands just in front of Amber, standing defensively as the man's frigid gaze washes over them. She puts her hand on his shoulder, dragging him behind her. She places her shield between herself and the man.

"Students." He says simply. "Not worth my time." Turning on his heel, he begins to walk away, only to run into a freshly materialized Jaybird.

"You're not an instructor. State your name and purpose." He speaks with a surprising level of authority, his knife falling out from his sleeve and into his hand.

"How'd he...?" Amber wonders, remembering his trick with the knife toss into the scabbard in his boot. The man in white silently regards Jaybird, eyes level with his. He holds out his hand, towards the sword that lies behind him. He whistles, the sound piercing the warm air. The blade reacts, snapping up from the charred earth and into his hand.

"It does not concern you, little Huntsman, who I am." He raises his sword, whistling again. The sword vibrates, amplifying the sound. Amber cringes as the ultrasonic pitch slices at her eardrums.

"What does, however, are the Creatures of Grimm that are now coming towards this clearing with aggressive intent. For your good, I pray you are eaten by the Grimm." His whole body buzzes out of focus, and with a sound like a gunshot, vanishes. A small shockwave brushes past Amber and Rosa, putting ash in their eyes. Jaybird stands alone now, staring at empty space. He quickly runs towards the pair, a grim expression plain on his face.

"Jay, you know him?" Amber growls, rubbing her neck with her free hand. He stops as she speaks, shaking his head. Walking slower now, he takes out the earbud, unplugging it from his scroll and stuffing it into his other pocket.

"No. But that's what worries me. I knew everyone in this test except that little girl in red, and the blonde dorky one, at least by reputation. He's not a student, nor is he a professor at Beacon."

"But then... Who was he?" Rosa asks. Jaybird shrugs,

"Hell if I know."

Eren drops down, speaking quickly,

"Well, whoever he was, he didn't lie. There's a shitload of Grimm headed right for us." Jaybird closes his eyes, muttering something to himself.

"We can't run. We wouldn't be able to move fast enough to get away. Therefore, it's our best bet to stand here and fight. Eren, how many?"

"Maybe a couple dozen wolves, an Ursai or two, maybe more. I couldn't get a good look, with the canopy and all." He answers quickly, drawing his hood over his head. Green lights flicker to life inside the hood.

"Alright, Jaybird, tell me where you need me." Rosa says, shaking his head,

"You've got the reigns." The dark haired boy takes a deep breath, and then speaks quickly, but clearly.

"Rosa, right?" The healer nods, "Get to the center of the clearing, Eren you too. We'll be relying on you two to support us in every way. Amber and I will do our best to keep them from reaching you, but we're only two people. Eren, I'm going to need you to put the biggest threats out of action before they get in our way, but keep your distance." The pair jog towards the center of the charred circle.

"Amber, just keep them safe. I'll watch your back, you watch theirs, and they'll watch mine." She nods, taking a few steps inwards, turns around, and slams her shield into the ground.

"Understood." She growls. The shield's center telescopes outwards, pulling itself into a long, heavy barrel, pulling the sides inwards. She adjusts her grip as the mechanisms of the shield shift into the oversized electrical weapon's controls. A deadly, buzzing hum fills the air.

Jaybird moves beside her, bringing out a second knife, and adopting possibly the most care free fighting stance ever seen. He rests his hands behind his head, knives pointing upwards like a pair of black, crystal horns.

A padded thumping reaches their ears, slow, steady tremors shaking the ground. They see their eyes before anything else. Their bloody, red eyes.

((Yeah. I'm gonna be a jerk and stop there. Thanks to Lone Wolf of Shadow for the follow, and to That One Person for the nice input. As always, I appreciate ya'll reading this. More thanks to GsusLoves for his continued support and advice in developing the characters and story. As I'm writing this all on my phone, I actually have no idea how long this chapter is. I apologize if it's insultingly short. Another note pointed out by my best friend, I DO NOT EDIT. Yeah, I'm a lazy High School Junior who doesn't feel like going back and changing the order of words up a bit. So... Hopefully that clears some things up. Feel free to message my kik, AegisFell, if you have any questions, or just wanna talk. And here's this chapter's playlist:

Caffeine- Jeff Williams

Dream On- AeroSmith

Sacrifice- Jeff Williams

Back in Black- AC/DC

Sepiks Prime- Michael Salvatori &amp; Martin O'Donnel

Crownless- Nightwish

Also: An edit for inconsistency. In Chapter three Jaybird says, 'Call me J' but I ended up going with his full middle name instead. Sorry for any confusion.

Well, night to you, dear... People. I would call you friends, but that might be incorrect. And I would mimic a friend and call you substers, but I don't like copying others. I thought about calling you assholes, but that might be plain old rude. So for now I'll stick with people. People are... Good? ANWAYS. Good night. Even though I'm going to post this tomorrow morning. Cause that makes sense, right? I sure hope so.))


	6. Chapter 6

R Chapter Six

**(I'm actually writing this first bit while on my flight. I've been thinking that I may start naming the chapters. If you guys want me to do so, let me know. If not, ditto. And as to my Mystery Guest Reviewer, in response to your comment, I must say that I disagree. As a general stereotype, when given reason to be, people are good. Individuals, however, are not. Keep in mind that if any of you ever have any suggestions or comments, I'm open to receiving them. Whether I actually make changes is the bit that's in the air. [Yaaay turbulence!] Wish me luck in my eternal battle against auto correct! Onwards to victory, or something!)**

Their red eyes gather in the shadows beneath the canopy surrounding the clearing. Their breath and their grunts and their snarls make the air vibrate with unadulterated hostility, bloodlust their only intent. Surrounded from most every side, the four slowly ready themselves. Rosa mutters a quiet prayer beneath his breath.

Amber snarls repetitive, though colorful, curses.

Jaybird hums a song, spinning his knives as he watches the tree line.

Eren remains silent, watching down the length of a silver arrow.

"Everyone ready?" Jaybird chimes as the first of many Beowulf steps into the clearing. Grunts of acknowledgement follow.

"Then let's get started, shall we? Amber," he bows to the Faunus girl, who's cannon is visibly shaking as it builds up your charge.

"The honor is yo-" His honey coated voice is cut off by a blast of blue light, followed by a ground shattering boom. When the dust, light, and sound clears, there's a swathe cut deep into the ground, traveling a good fifty meters before tapering off. At least a dozen Grimm corpses lie burnt to a bloody crisp, half buried by rubble.

Amber grins, swinging her right arm back, letting the cannon fold up and condense into it's shield form. She readies the heavy plate of metal, roaring.

"Come and get me, bitches! I'm your opponent here!" True enough, every red eye had locked itself on her, targeted her.

Jaybird nods satisfactorily, leaping backwards into the air and vanishing.

"I've got your back." His voice floats, it's half-demented tone frightening enough to haunt someone's nightmares. She doesn't bother responding. Locking eyes with an Ursa that had lumbered out from cover. She digs her heels into the dirt, running towards it, shield raised defensively. At the last moment, she plants her good foot into the ground, stopping herself entirely. She raises the shield high, anticipating the Ursa's crushing overhead blow. When it crashes against the shield, the ground around Amber cracks. Two arrows sprout from it's chest, sending it falling backwards, dead as dirt. Eren nocks another arrow, spinning and firing it into one of the few Creatures of Grimm that had decided to ignore Amber.

As the Ursa falls, Amber spins, catching a glancing blow from a Beowulf on her shield. She pushes forward violently, sending it stumbling back. The air directly above it warps, and Jaybird falls from thin air. He lands on it's shoulders, jamming his knives into it's skull. With a howl it lands flat on it's back, bleeding out as Jaybird leaps backwards, vanishing again.

Amber grins, growling deep in her throat as more Grimm beeline towards her.

"What? You want some too?!" Her voice tears out of her throat, bloodlust getting the best of her, she dashes forward, meeting the horde head-on. Her shield collides with a Beowulf's skull. Spinning, she sends Locked Secret into yet another wolf, launching it into the air. As a wolf makes a lunge for her exposed back, Jaybird appears below it, sliding and slicing it's stomach open. Ignoring the gore, he vanishes into the void once again.

Continuing her rampage, Amber jumps up, sending her bare foot into another wolf's eye socket. She uses the Beowulf as a spring board, flipping into the air. She lets the shield's weight take precedence, bringing her back to the ground like a boulder, crushing her 'springboard' with a hearty crunch. Flipping to her feet, she slams the shield's edge into a wolf's neck. With a snap, it's eyes turn black. Amber kicks the corpse out of her way, snapping the shield to her side to block a slash from a small Ursa. (Not that there's ever a '_small_' Ursa.)

With a crushing blow on her shield, that same Ursa drives the girl to her knees. Amber wincing, the Ursa rains blow after blow on the shield.

"Amber, hold on!" Rosa dashes towards her, breaking away from Eren.

"Upsie Dasie!" He shouts. Amber tenses beneath the shield. Rosa plants his boot on her shield, bending his knees. Amber pushes all her strength straight up, in tandem with Rosa leaping into the air. Shrine Petal opens up, the boy spinning in the air. He rains blast after blast of Fire Based Dust attacks on the Ursa, his feet hitting the dirt at the same time as the Ursa's back. Corpse burning, it's attacks have ceased.

Amber dashes in front of Rosa, raising her shield to block a Beowulf.

"Go back to Eren now." Amber says, "It's not safe up here."

Rosa nods wordlessly, sprinting back to the archer. Jaybird materializes besides Amber, looking out at the regrouping Creatures of Grimm.

"We can't keep fighting them." He monotones. "If we don't get out of here soon, they'll kill us all."

"I know." She states. Sweat beads at her forehead, making her wipe at her stinging eyes.

"We either finish them all now, in this instant, or we run."

"We're not strong enough. Not yet." She growls.

Jaybird turns, starting to not back towards the other two. Amber follows after him, letting her shield condense into it's drum-form and slinging it onto her back. The Creature's of Grimm suddenly tense, whipping around and dashing away. A whistling sound pierces the air. Amber glances over her shoulder, narrowing her eyes.

"They're leaving." She announces.

"So are we." Jaybird groans, swaying on his feet as he gets to the others.

"Hey, you okay?" She says, supporting him with one arm.

"I've never used my semblance so much before. It tires me out quickly. We should hurry back to the cliff before we fail..."

"Night..."

"Yes?"

"Was it wise, calling the Grimm away from those kids like that?"

"They passed their test. I called too many for Huntsmen of their strength to handle, and after a brief fight they recognized that fact. Had they not, then they don't deserve life, but they were wise. I wish to see more of them."

"Muse won't be happy."

"Muse is never happy."

"So why did you show yourself to them in the first place?"

"I have lost interest in hunting mindless beasts. Men are more entertaining prey."

"You're sick."

"Not for no reason."

"Crimson will not like this..."

"I'm the Black Knight of my generation. If for no other reason, he will tolerate it."

"Don't let arrogance blind you, boy."

"And never underestimate me, Ares."

((Well, half of this was written on the plane, half at my Uncle's house. I have no clue how long it is, but I think it's one of the shorter chapters. Ya'll have a good night, I'll post again probably in la couple days. Remember, if I disappear for a little while, yell at me, cause I probably forgot to either post or write.))


	7. Chapter 7

R Chapter Seven

**((Hello once again readers! Hit over 200 views recently, so I'm highly optimistic about this whole thing. Not to mention all the awesome reviews I've been receiving. Though I haven't written in a couple days, I hope to have this out by Christmas Day at latest. So, as I'm sure you've all noticed, I've been posting what songs I listen to while writing each individual chapter, so I got to wondering what all of YOU listen to out there in Reader-Land. PM me or post a review with your answer and I'll take a quick listen if I don't already know the band or song. As always, if you decide that you have an issue with something I'm doing, feel free to talk to me about it. All opinions, so long as they are legitimate, are welcome here. Now, a couple people have asked who the romantic pairings are going to be, so I decided to ask you, dear readers. Tell me what you want and I'll definitely think about doing just that. Who are you rooting for? Who's your favorite character? What RWBY characters do you wanna see more of in this fic?{On that note, I was thinking I'd have CFVY have a large impact on DARE. Opinions?} Your wish, though not my command, is definitely my pleasure to fulfill. Now, onward, unto the battlefield of grammar and vocabularily!))**

Amber strides up to Rosa, matching his pace, as they follow Jaybird and Eren South, back towards the cliff they had been hurled from not too long ago. Eren speaks in hushed tones, too quiet for even Amber to make sense of. Jaybird nods along with what the other boy is saying, seeming to be deep in thought. With a start, she realizes that she had been staring at Jaybird, and quickly looks away. Rosa tentatively puts his arm around Amber's shoulder. She startles, lips parting to curse him out. She stops herself, muttering, and looking back at her feet.

"Just this once..." Not that she minded anyway. But image is important. Amber knows this more than most. Rosa, silent for once, stares into the woods, hand bound around Shrine Petal, knuckles white. Sweat trickles down the back of his neck. Amber breaks, growling loudly, causing Rosa's arm to snap to his side and for the others to jump in surprise.

"How much longer?" She demands, crossing her arms as they march on. Jaybird waves her off without looking behind himself,

"Soon."

Amber rolls her eyes, shrugging and slouching her shoulders, trying to remove the odd sensation from where Rosa had been touching her.

"There, see. We're not far." Rosa points through the thinning canopy, the cliff growing closer by the moment. Far to their left, old, ruinous towers, and a degrading bridge spanning the gorge running between the cliff and dense Emerald Forest. Jaybird signals for silence with the classic 'SSHHH!' gesture, and then for them all to follow. Crouching down and moving quickly, the four reach the outskirts of the ruins, it's grey rubble peppering the ground.

Jaybird nods to himself, standing to his full height, probably close to a full foot taller than Rosa,

"Seems all clear. Let's hurry, we don't wanna run into any trouble here, so close to being done." With cautious, long strides, he stalks towards the bridge, sticking to the edges of the ruin's structure. Behind him is Eren, like a shadow of the black haired man, barely visible due to his utter lack of presence.

Amber gives Rosa a forceful shove, putting him next in the lineup,

"I've got your back." She reaches behind her, patting Locked Secret. He only nods, an odd look in his eyes, before turning back and following after the quiet archer. Amber waits for some time, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. Her ears press down against her head, and with a couple pieces of tape, she holds them down. She dashes to catch up as soon as she's done. They cross the bridge with no problem.

Staring up the cliff, Jaybird sighs.

"I don't suppose you're all really awesome climbers, are you?"

"I a- wait." Rosa stops, furrowing his brow, "We were all trained to climb cliffs like this. Why do you ask?" Sweat trickles down Jaybird's forehead.

"I'm phobic of heights..." He admits.

Amber facepalms, and Rosa takes a second look at the cliff. Eren takes out an arrow, undoing a length of thick wire. He clips one end to Jaybird's belt.

"Eren, what are yo-" The archer attaches**(I have no idea if that's how you spell that...)** the other end to the arrow. Without a single word, he nocks it to the bowstring, draws it back, and fires it to the top of the cliff. The arrow embeds itself into the stone, slowly sinking deeper in even after hitting it at first. He puts his bow away, and takes out a remote control.

"Wait!" Jaybird pleads. Eren pauses, looking him in the eye. Then he pushes the button. With a whir, the arrow begins to spin, wrapping the wire up and drawing it up. With a jerk, Jaybird, the man who fearlessly attacked the Creatures of Grimm, who came to Amber's rescue from Cardin, is dragged up the cliff, literally digging in his heels. He squeezes his eyes shut as the altitude increases. Biting down on his hand, he muffles his cries.

Amber and Rosa slowly shift their gaze from Jaybird to Eren, who had walked up to the cliff and had begun to climb. Amber snorts, trying to stop from laughing. Rosa sighs, shaking his head, and starts climbing. Amber takes a moment to recover, then follows after the others.

As Eren clambers up onto the cliff top, he drags Jaybird from his odd perch, tossing him onto the solid ground above. Jaybird sighs with release, shaking slightly. Amber throws herself up onto the cliff, Rosa right behind her. She rolls onto her back, huffing and puffing. Rosa sits besides her, putting Shrine Petal away, smiling widely.

"We did it!" He breathes, staring at the sky. Footsteps clip curtly behind them. Amber turns her head to the side, getting a full view of the disapproving glare they were all receiving from Professor Goodwitch,

"The relics?" She asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh... Right." Rosa draws the black pawn from his jacket pocket, tossing it lightly to the imperial woman. Jaybird silently hands her his own, sitting up as he gathers his nerves.

"Very good. Follow me, children. We'll have your wounds looked at."

Amber tenses, sitting up tall. Rosa watches her with a worrisome interest.

"Thank you, professor, but we sustained no injuries." He lies, "So there's no need for that." Goodwitch narrows her eyes, but nods.

"Will you be able to find your way back to the locker rooms?"

"Of course," He sings, voice coated in silver.

"Then get cleaned up. The other teams will be done shortly, and then you will be organized into four person teams. The ceremony starts at six PM." She turns to go, but speaks with confident authority,

"And if you lie to me again, Mr Burns, especially for something so trivial as keeping Ms Spring's secret, I will ensure that you leave this school." Jaybird clenches his jaw, taking a moment, then breathing out quickly.

"Thank you..." Amber says, "But," She lets a roundhouse kick fly, sinking her foot in Jaybird's stomach,

"If you do something stupid like that again, you'll have me to answer for! Especially to keep my race hidden from the school and the school's doctors, WHO ALREADY KNOW." She stands over the crumpled man, glowering. He chokes out a good laugh, looking up at her with one eye,

"Jesus, you kick like a mule... As you command, my qu-" Amber's knee meets his face, sending him onto his back.

Rosa starts laughing,

"Here I thought you just hated me! You really are just a tom-boy, aren't you?!" Jaybird is suddenly flying through the air, slamming into Rosa.

"You two wanna die?!"

They don't stop laughing.

((And there we end for now. Hopefully you all enjoyed this chapter. I don't have a soundtrack for this chapter. I am actually getting a little motion sick right now cause I wrote a good 50% of this on a road trip. Until next time.))


	8. Chapter 8

R Chapter Eight

**(I hope you all had a very merry Christmas Day, I sure did. But now we go back right into business! No rest for the wicked, eh? I'll skip the statements and questions today. Enjoy the chapter. Or not. Your choice.) **

Alone. All alone in a flurry of black snow in a white field. Amber, a young girl, alone. Her eyes are wide and body cold, watching fearfully as the flakes piece together into forms resembling people. Words, indecipherable and meaningless pour from the false images, tainting the white field black. Slowly, like an infection, the darkness draws in closer and closer towards the child, towards her brittle and slight frame. The words slowly gain meaning,

"What are you, some Faunus lover?" The white recedes further,

"You're HER friend?"

"Ew, he's so desperate he's willing to go out with a Faunus girl! How gross!" The shadows and black stains reach beneath the white haired slowly dragging her into them, whimpering. The cacophony of voices roars noisily, and the blackness even begins to taint the girl's white hair, down to to the roots. Drawing her deeper into it's depths.

"Amber!"

Amber startles awake, finding herself looking into Rosa's pink eyes from the stone floor of the locker room. She rubs her eyes, groaning.

"You okay? You looked like you were having a nightmare." His concern is clear as he inspects her as though her physical condition would tell him what's going on inside of her head.

"Yeah. Just a bad dream." She mutters.

He looks dissatisfied with her answer, but stands, straightening his suit jacket, an oddly formal dress for him.

"Anyway, it's almost time to go. You need to get cleaned up. And put this on." He holds out a long, dark, golden orange dress out, stylized by a ripple pattern in black.

"I'm not wearing that." She growls, still groggy.

"Sorry. You don't have a choice. We have to be dressed formally or Goodwitch will have our heads." Amber shakes her head.

"I am not wearing a dress." Eyes growing more and more aware, there's more than a hint of embarrassment growing in her voice.

"What's wrong with the dress? I think it'd look beautiful on you."

"Flattery will not help you." She says, standing.

"Amber," He shakes the dress, "Please? There's nothing else I brought for you for something like this."

Her eyes dilate,

"'Brought for me'? What do you mean?" She asks with surprise.

"I knew you would pack THAT" He nods to what she was currently wearing,

"And bring literally nothing else, so I went out and got some clothes for you. I'm fairly confident I got your measurements right. I AM a tailor's son, after all."

For a moment, she looks like she might say something sweet, kind, or gracious. Instead, she gives a resigned sigh and says,

"Okay, fine... I'll wear your dress." She takes the long, amber colored dress, and goes into a bathroom stall.

After a few moments, she returns, standing uncomfortably in the sleek, long dress. Rosa smiles, opening his mouth to speak. He's silenced by the glare Amber gives him,

"I swear to God, if you say something flirty right now, I will beat your face in." He sighs, taking a pair of heels from his locker.

"No. No way am I wearing shoes."

"It's a FORMAL EVENT."

"It could be a Schnee Dust Company ball for all I care! I'm not going to wear them!"

"Why?" He asks, spreading his arms wide in indignation,

"They HURT and are STUPID. Besides," she gestures at the dress, which covers her feet,

"It's not like they'll know the difference." She narrows her eyes at him. Rosa groans, putting the shoes back into his locker, shaking his head slowly.

Jaybird strolls in, wearing a black suit with a purple tie. He takes them both in with a glance,

"You two look good." He grins that semi-psychopathic smile, crossing his arms and squinting.

"Wait... Amber, you can be somewhat feminine?"

"No." Both Rosa and Amber say at once. Jaybird laughs, a quiet chuckle.

"Hey, you guys." Eren's voice calls,

"We're up on stage in five minutes."

"Then we'll head over now. You both are ready, right?" Jaybird asks, turning his head to look at the clock hanging on a wall.

Amber only grunts, and after a cursory search of his own body, Rosa says,

"Yep. I'm good to go." Amber slides a cynical gaze to rest on him,

"What, no self-assured, arrogant comment?"

"What? No. Of course not. I'm not such a small man that I'd try to make myself the center of attention!" Says the 5'1 boy who's wearing a dark pink tuxedo, with well maintained, well gelled rose petal pink hair.

"...Sure." Amber pats him on the head as she walks past, following after Jaybird,

"Keep telling yourself that."

The four of them make it to the auditorium just in time, as they enter, the man in the green suit, who APPARENTLY is the Headmaster, speaks softly into the microphone.

"Dean Burns," Jaybird gives a sour frown for a moment, but then walks forward, looking somber.

"Amber Spring," Amber growls deep in her throat as her name is called. She follows Jaybird's path reluctantly.

"Rosa Howl," Rosa grins widely, walking after Amber with a purposeful swagger, strutting his stuff, so to speak.

"Eren Verdance." Eren draws a heavy coat around him, tossing it's hood up to conceal his face. He walks quietly, drawing no extra attention to himself.

Once the four are gathered on the stage, the Headmaster speaks again,

"You four showed exceptional courage, while also using prudence in your own abilities. You all chose the Black Pawn piece, and because of these factors, you will act as a team for the rest of your years at Beacon. From this point on, you are Team Dare. Thank you, you may go to your dorms now." As they take their leave of the stage, the Headmaster begins again,

"Cardin Winchester," Eren pulls out his Scroll, following it's map to their dorm, the other three in tow. With a flourish, he opens the door to their room. To reveal only two beds in a very, very small room.

((Little comedic plot twist at the end. Thought about doing this literally a paragraph beforehand and just decided to make it a thing. I mean, why not? Your comments questions and concerns are always appreciated, unlike motion sickness. Which makes writing difficult. Sorry this update took longer to get done than I had expected. It also feels shorter than the rest. Sorry.))


	9. Chapter 9

**R Chapter 9**

******((And here we go again. Got good feedback about the last chapter. I'm going to try and make this one bigger than the previous two. IDK how it will turn out though.. ANYWAYS. On to the combat against grammar and my dictionary, as well as my own personal inability to keep a reliable tab on how long the chapter is. ONWARD I MARCH!))**

Amber stares at the beds for a moment before grabbing Rosa, throwing him onto the bed on the left and growling,

"Me and Rosa are going to take this one." She inclines her chin, staring down at... Well, the world.

"Simply because I know I can beat the shit out of him if he tries anything."

"Suuuuure..." The pink haired boy says, smirking,

"I know you ju-" Her gaze shifts to him, and he falls silent.

"Speak more. I dare you." Both Jaybird and Eren inch away from her slowly. Breaking out of her deathly stare, he shrugs. She falls into the small bed besides him, groaning.

"Rosa. Go get my stuff from your locker." He groans, standing up and departing with one last word,

"Fine, fine." He stops at the door, hesitant and uncertain,

"Which way's the locker room?" He asks as he looks back inwards towards the rest of them. Eren stands, walking to him, grabbing his collar, and dragging him along. He waves with an awkward chuckle as his heels drag in front of him.

Jaybird yawns,

"Well that was... Interesting."

"That was Rosa in a nutshell." Amber groans.

"You actually like him, don't you."

"What..?!" She sits up, eyes opening. "God, no! He's so..!" She clutched her hands, like talons, grinding her teeth. She brings her shoulders up tightly, then down again. Like a jerky shrug.

"He's so...!" Jaybird gives her a silent, blank stare.

"...So..." Her flare of aggression loses momentum,

"... I'm not gonna talk about this anymore." She decides with a cautious voice. With a grunt, Amber flops onto her back. She carefully removes the tape holding her ears down, hissing quietly as it pulls a few hairs. Her ears slowly ease into their natural, upright position.

"Okay. If we're not going to talk about the thing that will undoubtably cause friction in the near future, why don't we discuss why you choose to hide your race."

"I protect people." She says quickly, like a half-hearted, rehearsed line. "Others take abuse because they're related to me somehow, so I hide it. I've always taken the roll of being the 'shield'. This is how I protect my friends." She shrugs.

Jaybird stares at her closed eyes before sighing.

"Less a shield than a wall." He says clearly, lying back onto his own bed.

"I'll talk to a teacher about the beds tomorrow. Please review the class schedule I sent to all four of you. Anyways. It's been a long day. Goodnight, Amber."

"Night, Jay." She responds quietly, thinking of the ambiguous boy in the other bed. Thinking of the odd ways he speaks, and his confident, almost dominating presence. However, her thoughts end up going back to his first question's subject as she drifted into sleep. And how far she would kick his ass if he actually ended up trying anything.

Rosa came back to find Jaybird sitting on the edge of his bed, typing quickly onto his scroll, eyes narrowed and focus unbreakable, he lifts one hand towards Eren and Rosa as they enter. He lifts one finger to his lips, pointing to Amber, who was sleeping peacefully in she and Rosa's bed. He returns to his diligent typing. Eren pulls a net from his suitcase, going to work in a corner for no discernible reason. Rosa sets Amber's things neatly beside the bed, tossing his own bag lightly into a corner. He goes and closes the door behind him, making sure it matches silently. He then sits on the bed besides Amber, stroking her hair softly, and gazing down at her. Jaybird stops and looks at him a moment.

"You love her?" He asks quietly, eyes only half open.

"Yes." He responds almost immediately, "I do. But for her sake, she can't know that." Jaybird quickly goes back to typing, not responding.

In the morning, Amber stretches awake, finding herself alone in the bed, Eren in a hammock in a corner, and Jaybird awake and typing on his scroll, and Rosa curled peacefully on the floor besides the bed, head rested on her cargo pants, shirt, and his own jacket. She takes a moment before sitting up. Jaybird speaks in an amused hush, without looking up,

"Uniforms are in the closet. And before you ask, as I thought you would request, I had the Quarter Master bring four male uniforms. I thought it would suit your taste best."

She narrows her eyes, but refrains from saying anything too aggressive.

"...Thanks." She growls, getting up and snagging a uniform in the progress of going to the bathroom.

As she closes the door, Rosa yawns, waking up. He stands, stretching his back out.

"Uniforms in closet." Jaybird says with a slight snicker. Rosa only nods, rubbing his eyes. He runs into the closet door before opening it and taking his uniform. He walks to the bathroom door, hand reaching the handle.

Jaybird remains silent, watching with a mischievous smirk.

Rosa opens the door, slipping inside. The door, as it shuts, is suddenly bashed from the inside. Rosa yelps, and Amber's muffled, though colorful and loud, curses cause Eren to open one eye.

"You knew that would happen." He observes. Jaybird only snickers, stopping the audio recording on his Scroll, and continuing to type. Eren stands,

"I'm going to get coffee, you want some?"

"Sure. Get Amber a latte and Rosa some black while your at it?"

Eren nods, throwing his cloak over his shoulder before venturing out. Jaybird kills his smile as Rosa is pushed out of the bathroom through the now-cracked door. It slams shut with one last, "Asshole!". Rosa stutters, failing to even start a cohesive sentence.

"Well... This will take a while to make better."

"It's quite common for a pair of friends to actually grow closer when something like this happens, you know." Rosa only glares back at Jaybird, who hits the [SAVE] button on his scroll before closing it up.

"What?"

"I really, really am not happy with you right now." Rosa growls.

"Meh. You'll get over it." Jaybird responds, grinning like a madman.

"I'd bet you even avoided telling me on purpose."

"You make it sound like you saw something you didn't want to." He chides, chuckling. Rosa's face turns a darker shade of pink then his hair,

"Wh-!" He looks around, "Hush up! She'll hear you!" He says quietly. Jaybird sighs, holding his index finger up to signal for him to wait. The sound of rushing water is heard in the bathroom.

"She's in the shower. We're fine."

"I never should have said yes." Rosa groans, collapsing on his bed.

"Meh. I'd have known you were lying."

"Really? How?" He asks cynically.

"You have a tell. Amber does too. Oops." He takes a look at his watch.

"Look at the time. 8:47. We have 13 minutes to be in Ooblek. I'll tell Amber to hurry." He goes to the bathroom, opening the door wide.

"Amber, hurry up," He dodges a bottle of soap hurled from the shower, where Amber stands naked, covering her feminine bits,

"God dammit just knock, asshole!" She roars as he shuts the door calmly. Rosa is on the ground, a bottle of shampoo lying besides his unconscious body.

Eren walks in noiselessly, handing Jaybird his tea.

"How'd you know?" He asks.

"You never said you wanted coffee, and so I assumed you didn't."

Jaybird kicks Rosa awake as he sips at his morning tea. He slowly gets up, groaning, and rubbing the side of his head. He undresses quickly, getting into the school uniform.

A moment after he's dressed Amber emerges, dressed in the school uniform for boys, minus the shoes.

"We ready to go?" She asks. The others nod as Eren hands her her latte, and Rosa his coffee. Both say,

"Thanks." Simultaneously. Jaybird nods, taking long, purposeful strides.

"Come on. We have six minutes to be in class." Amber groans, following after him, but with no enthusiasm. Rosa nods, taking his reading glasses out and taking on a serious tone. Eren takes up the back, throwing his hood over his head and simply watching the others with a hint of a smile.

**((And that's that! Doesn't seem to bad to me as I'm writing this, but who knows how it turned out for ya'll. As always, I really hope you all enjoyed it. With luck, I'll post this one tomorrow morning, on New Year's Eve. Also:**

**Boop- Jeff Williams**

**Dream Come True- Jeff Williams**

**Alice's Theme- Danny Elfman**

**Let Me Die- The Classic Crine**

**Have a good, strange holiday, guys! Hey, if this gets popular enough, I might even reveal who each character is based off of(no names, sorry) in relation to me. Maybe. Until next time!))**


	10. Chapter 10

**R Chapter Ten**

**((I never actually thought I'd make it this far. I figured this would be a bit of a passing hobby, but it's proving to last longer than that. Now, since we're getting later and later on, I'd like to ask a selfish favor. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE share this story if you enjoy it. I'd appreciate it, and though I don't NEED more readers, I do feel the need for more FEEDBACK. So, tell me what you think! PLEASE. Someone's 'insignificant' oppinion could very well lead to me making huge progress in a plot/consistency issue that I had been busting my head over for days.**

**And unfortunately, this is a long Author Note. Feel free to skip if you don't wanna hear what I wanna say.**

**I figured it was time for me to open up a LITTLE bit about myself. As I mentioned earlier on, I am a High School student, a Junior. I will continue to keep my gender and sexuality to myself(For shits and giggles), though I somehow doubt it's that mysterious. I write for pleasure. It's a long time hobby and pass time of mine, and more often than not, characters from my stories reflect characters from real life. People I know and feel a close bond to. All of DARE is based off of one of my significant friends, and I challenge you all to figure out who each one is to me, and lastly, who I am. Yes, there is an author insert here, more less than more. If you look at my attitude in my early author notes, you might just get a good clue! Not one to challenge others without some kind of reward, I will answer one question about myself from whoever figures it out first.**

**I play in Band, trumpet to be exact. I have been involved in a band program since sixth grade, and it is my other love. Which, if you are curious, is one reason I post what songs I listen to while writing a chapter. I enjoy sharing the music I listen to.**

**I watch Doctor Who, though I've not caught up with Capaldi.**

**I watched Kill La Kill, and it was painfully awesome. And terrifyingly embarrassing.**

**Log Horizon is a favorite of mine.**

**SAO is NOT, however.**

**Blue Exorcist is by far one of my favorite anime.**

**However, RWBY is my OBSESSION. For now, anyways.**

**Lastly, before we get on to the story. I've decided to do something I feel you will all thoroughly enjoy. No. Not lemons, nor a love scene. Still not sure about that. I'm awkward enough as is. One of the teams will be distinctly featured, and you'll get to see just who very soon. Anyways: Onwards and downwards or upwards and sidewards, maybe even backwards, here we go! Alons-y(Or however you say it!) To the slaughter of Grammaristics and Vocabularians!))**

Rosa sits at strict attention, eyes unfaltering, focus undeniably powerful, hand blurring as he takes notes verbatim. Sweat drips from his forehead as he works to keep pace with Professor Ooblek's speech, as well as his physical speed. His scroll's screen fizzes at the titanic amount of data being poured into it all at once.

Besides him, Amber is snoring, making their desk rattle. He pets her hair thoughtfully, chuckling at how she had forgotten to tape her ears down this morning. They had sat at the back, and gotten there first, so it had yet to be noticed. His other hand continues to type.

Jaybird is leaning back, his scroll propped up on his desk, it's camera occasionally blinks red.

Eren simply watches, eyes glinting beneath his deep, heavy hood. Amber chortles awake, starting at the touch of Rosa's hand behind her ears. Her eyes immediately grow heavy again, and she drifts back into a noisy slumber.

"-And with this event the four cities were created, as they are now. Any questions? No! Good, let us continue! At this pace we'll reach chapter fourty five in no time!" The teacher proclaims, bouncing on his heels. He takes a deep drink of what's either coffee, or some other dark colored drink. It has an odd, familiar musk, from even at the back of the class it's possible to smell it.

"Liquor?" Jaybird wonders. He shrugs it off, deeming it to be unimportant.

Amber mutters something about wanting bacon, drooling slowly onto the table. Rosa uses a pink and white hanky to wipe it up, without looking. He dabs her mouth, cleaning it off. He leaves the cloth lie on her desk. Jaybird chuckles to himself.

They leave their class, each of them exhausted in their own right. Except Eren. He's just... There. As usual. Amber had used her last piece of 'emergency tape' to pin her ears down once she had woken up, despite Rosa's protest and Jaybird's obvious disapproval.

"According to our schedule, we've got lunch next." Eren monotones, small, faint lights flitting back and forth within his hood. A holographic display?

"Incoming." He warns as the lights die. Cardin approaches from behind Amber. He snorts, smirking as he stares down his nose at them.

"Amber Spring." He says loud enough that dozens of people around hear him. They gather their attention around him.

"I know you're a Faunus." He says the words slowly, again, so EVERYONE hears him. He leans in close as her eyes widen slightly,

"No one, especially a Faunus GIRL makes a fool o-" Rosa draws his staff with a somber expression. With a spin he whips it towards Cardin, and the bully is thrown back by an invisible force. Rosa swings again, this time throwing the larger boy into the air. He slams his staff's butt into the floor, cracking the tile as Cardin belly flops onto the hard ground.

"Cardin." Warns Rosa, "I swea-" Amber hushes him, walking forward with purposeful strides.

"Up." She snarls. "You obviously wanna show all these people who's the big man, so prove that you are." She takes Locked Secret from her back, slipping it over her left arm.

"Fight me, bitch." He grins, bringing out his own weapon, a bulky, multi-bladed mace. As he pulls back to swing, he's thrown against a wall by a pulse of purple light. Professor Goodwitch stands at the far end of the hall.

"AMBER SPRING, CARDIN WINCHESTER. Report to the office. NOW." She storms away, high heels stabbing the ground. She drags both students away telekinetically. Rosa follows behind.

"I'll see you guys at lunch, if we ever get there." He says as he follows Amber, who's simply sitting on the ground as she slides along, towed by Goodwitch's power. She has her arms crossed, an expression of annoyance plain on her face. She slowly and deliberately removed the tape she had JUST applied, glaring at it ruefully as she casts it away.

"There will be no fighting on school grounds." Goodwitch reiterates for the thousandth time, pacing in front of the three students with an air of indignant annoyance.

"And over something so trivial! Cardin, YOU have a history of this kind of attitude, and Amber has a long and notable history of violence, but what surprises me is you. Rosa, you're a top of the line student, and probably the least aggressive person in the school! Why would you risk what reputation you've made for yourself by fighting?"

"That's a stupid question." He answers curtly. Goodwitch only narrows her eyes, not bothering to respond.

"Cardin, Rosa. Consider this a warning, return to class." Rosa opens his mouth to protest, but with a glare from both the teacher and Amber, he goes silent. With a helpless gesture and a shrug, he walks away.

"Amber." The professor addresses her with a little more warmth once they had gone,

"I'm sorry your secret leaked as it did, but you cannot expect me to believe that that was your only reason for getting in a fight already."

"I owed him." She says. "Rosa, not Cardin. I owe him, and won't stand by and watch him fight on my behalf and owe him MORE. That'd be unjust." She thinks for a moment.

"But Cardin does have a good bit coming for him."

Goodwitch huffs, crossing her arms testily as she stares into the young girl's eyes.

"You really have no clue about how to follow social standards, do you?" She asks with venom. Amber only scoffs in response, not bothering to dignify that with a response.

"Fine..." Goodwitch groans,

"Go to class. Don't let this happen again." Amber stands, turning and walking out of the room without another word. Goodwitch watches as she goes, shaking her head.

Amber finds her team in the cafeteria, eating at a small, circular table secluded in one corner, nearby one of the many monitors that constantly play the news. Rosa waves as she spots them. She makes her way over, and is immediately surrounded by Team CRDL. With sneers and gross expressions, they snicker. Cardin crosses his arms,

"Well, well, well. Now, Amber, I was wondering if you'd like to pick up where we left off. Or are you chi-" She nails him across the face, sending him to the floor with one blow. His team takes a step back in surprise. Amber crouches besides the fallen boy.

"Hey, Cardin. Just because you know that I'm Faunus now, that doesn't change the fact that I'm the same person who's kicked your ass time and time again. So, remember what happened when you tucked with me in the past, and we'll be OK." She slaps him on the cheek once before standing and moving to rejoin her team. As she walks slowly, her gait becomes slowly more and more careless, her eyes seeming to close of her own will. Rosa dashes forwards as fast as he can.

"Eren, kill the TV!" He shouts, catching her as her body spasms and falls. She shakes and jerks unconsciously. The terrifyingly aggressive beast that is Amber Spring is having a seizure. Rosa covers her eyes, trying to hold her still as best he can.

Unable to find an off switch, Eren draws his bow in one fluid movement, putting an arrow into it.

"Jay, go get Goodwitch! Hurry!" Jaybird nods, sprinting towards the teacher's office. After a few, silent moments of people sitting and standing in hushed suspense, Goodwitch arrives, along with the medical staff. They take the now-unconscious, though stable, Amber away, wheeling her away on a stretcher. Rosa stays by her side, somber and completely focused.

Eren glances over to Jaybird for but a moment,

"Did you know she had epilepsy?" The other boy only shakes his head.

"Haha! Little Faunus bitch can't even stand up after one punch! What a whimp!" Cardin loudly takes command of the whole scene, looking like someone had just named him king of the castle. Most ignore him.

A few moments pass before a girl in a red hood approaches Eren and Jaybird,

"Hey, is your friend ok?" She asks, looking legitimately concerned about Amber.

"Hopefully. We didn't know she'd do that, but she's in good hands." Jaybird says, Eren, as usual, is happy to leave the talking to Jaybird.

"Well, I just wanted to say that I thought what she did was really cool," She says awkwardly, shifting her weight from leg to leg,

"In any case." Jaybird says with a comfortable smile, "I'm Jaybird."

"I'm Ruby. It's, uh, nice to meet you." The girl chirps, bouncing on her heels. A woman with extremely messy, blonde hair walks up behind her,

"Who's your new friend, Ruby?" She asks.

"I'm Jaybird." The boy decides to stand, offering his hand. She shakes it quickly, smiling infectiously.

"Yang." She spreads her arms with vigor. "So, anyone else in for breaking Cardin's neck?" She asks enthusiastically.

"I'd rather put an arrow through his knee." Eren says, quietly eating his lunch.

"Uh... Why?" The blonde asks, furrowing her brow.

"It'd put an end to his adventuring days. You don't recover from injuries like that." He seems to have no more to say.

"You'll have to forgive Eren, he's not the most conversational of people."

"RUBY! YANG! WE HAVE TO GOOO!" A highly agitated girl with snow white hair across the room calls.

"Well, I guess we'll see you around?" Ruby asks.

"Surely." Jaybird answers, nodding politely. As they leave, Eren sighs,

"You're two different people."

"No, I'm just good at acting."

"So can I re-"

"No. No you can't kill Cardin. We'll need him later." Jaybird helps Eren up out of his seat, smiling malevolently as he drags the cloaked boy towards the infirmary.

**((NOW HERE'S THE TRIPPY PART THAT I WAS UNSURE OF AT FIRST BUT DECIDED TO DO LAST MINUTE!))**

My eyes open slowly, a melodic, rhythmic beeping slowly coming into focus. My ears twitch as the world fits into place and the room comes into focus. Rosa sits with his back to the far wall, head tilted back, but eyes open. As I try to move, I discover the bindings holding me to this damned gurney.

"What the..." I growl deep in my throat, grunting as I pull out of the first one. I unlatch the others with my freed hand, tearing an IV out of my arm. Rosa's focus glides to rest on me, but he doesn't bother speaking. I realize with a slow, cold feeling in my chest, that he is SERIOUSLY pissed off. With a winter-like tone, he lets the words finally come.

"Last time we had this discussion, you assured me you would take the medicine. You promised me you would take care of yourself." His gaze sends chills up my spine, breaking my aggressive front immediately and sending me back onto the defensive.

"You promised me, Amber." His jaw clenches, and shoulders tense. He closes his eyes, taking a deep breath.

"Last time, you nearly died. This time was not as bad, but only because you were extremely close to care, and I was there to channel Aura into you to keep your body from shutting down."

"Rosa, I-" He silences me.

"I don't want to hear it!" His eyes fly open, "Dammit! I'm tired of your bravado and tough-girl act, I'm tired of your damned refusal to EVER seek help out! I'm sick of having to watch out for you when you show no care for your own well being! If you don't shape up and start giving some kind of flying fuck, you will die." His words shock me, causing my chest to tighten and breath to come in short. He'd never spoken this way before. He stands with a unsteady sway, taking firm steps to my bedside. He pushes a bottle into my stomach.

"Take your fucking medicine every fucking day." He leaves the bottle, walking away slowly. He pauses at the door for but a moment, before quickly storming away. Once he was gone, I felt tears gathering in my eyes.

No! I refuse to cry! Not here! Not now! Not ever again!

I close my eyes, taking deep breaths to force back the waves of emotion. After a moment or two, I reopen my eyes, only to find myself staring right into Jaybird's eyes. He smiles warmly,

"Hey."

"What d'ya want?" I snarl. Great people skills, Amber, you're doing just great. Keep up the good work.

"I WANTED to see if you're doing ok. You obviously are. I NEED to know if you're going to be ok from here on out?"

"He means to ask if you're going to have a seizure every time you see a TV." A rarely heard voice chimes in. Eren hovers at the door, like a wraith or ghost.

"No. They've got meds for me, so long as I take them, I'll have no trouble. I was just stressed was all."

"I don't blame you." He answers.

"Well, you ready to get out of here?" I only nod, sitting and then standing up. I put the bottle into my pocket, but only after popping one of the pills it contains. He winks as his whole image warps and shatters. Eren sighs,

"He said he's got things to do. Wanna walk back with me?" Amber shrugs,

"Sure. Got nothing better to do."

**((Woo! And that's that chapter! Now, since I just started doing 1st person spontaneously, I'll let you guys put it to a vote. Want me to keep going like that, or go back? Your choice. Probably. Now, I'm not gonna post a soundtrack this time cause I'm tired and wanna get back to watching anime. It's three in the morning, after all. I may be a night owl, but I'm not that crazy to not sleep at all. And I plan on there being more of Team RWBY in the foreseeable future! Onwards and diagwards! See ya'll next time, hopefully soon!))**


	11. Chapter 11

R Chapter 11

**((Hello once again, readers. Hopefully you're reading this while you're well, happy, and not about to kill yourself because school is starting back up. With any luck or skill, though, this should be a happy and uplifting chapter, unlike the previous one. Also, the polls are in and I decided to go with continuing in first person exclusively from Amber's POV. Well, that's all for today. To the constant conflict with the english language as a whole!))**

Eren is seriously the opposite of talkative. You could talk for hours without him having a single word of input. He'd just stand there and pay attention, a blank expression painted on his face. It made our little walk back to the room a little more than uncomfortable. It made it awkward as hell. Luckily, however, we got there quickly.

As I pushed the old door open, I hear muffled grunting, catching sight of Rosa. The pink haired boy sits, back to the wall, surrounded by books and papers and his scroll. He's writing at a murderous pace, making incomprehensible noises, eyes wide and focus undeterred. Eren makes a beeline for his hammock, bringing his own Scroll out as he falls into it's welcoming arms. Jaybird isn't back yet.

I growl, trying to get Rosa's attention. He doesn't react. I press my lips into a tight line, refraining from throwing something large and heavy at him. Instead, his crotch becomes reacquainted with my foot. The boy yelps as I grind my heel into the most painful part of the male body.

I release him from his agony, putting my hands on my hips as I withdraw my foot.

"C'mon, I need to go shopping, and you need a break." I growl, looking down at him without pity. Well... Not much, anyway.

"S-sure, Amber... Just... Give me a moment..." He groans, lying on his side and clutching his crotch.

"Oh, c'mon." I grab him by his collar and heft the smaller boy over my shoulder,

"I need food. And clothes. And well... Pretty much everything."

"Where do you plan on getting all this stuff?"

I stop walking for a moment, dropping him so he can stand on his own.

"I haven't gotten that far yet." Shaking his head, he grabs my hand, dragging me behind him.

"There's probably a store somewhere on campus." He says, looking back at me over his shoulder.

"_Probably?" _I ask,

"Hey, at least I have some idea of what we need to do." Wrestling my hand out from his, I keep pace with Rosa, looking down at his steady, purposeful form.

"Yeah? It's barely a comment. Where do you suggest we _look _for this magical department store?"

"I was thinking we would ask Professor Port, I'd bet on him being in his office still."

I screw up my face, recoiling at the thought of going anywhere near him. The old man was not only arrogant, he smelled like brussel sprouts and old, pungent sausage.

"How about we never go anywhere near him unless absolutely required?"

"I had hoping you would say that..." He breaths a sigh of relief.

"Ozpin?" I suggest.

"That works, but he's probably bu-"

"How can I help?" Asks the ever-calm, ever-present headmaster of Beacon academy. He stands behind them, in his iconic stance, can behind him, coffee mug raised to his lips.

"Mother of fucking Haru!" I cry reflexively, stiffening at the sudden appearance of Professor Ozpin. He chuckles, sipping his coffee,

"Isn't that the-"

"Not a word..." I say, blushing severely. I raise a single finger at him, trying to forget what I'd said.

Rosa gives me an odd, amused look, causing my face to redden even further. He shakes his head clear of whatever thoughts he had been thinking, and turns his attention to our Headmaster.

"We were wondering if there's a grocery store on campus. We have a little shopping to get done before tomorrow."

"Of course. It's just behind the cafeteria, near the Eastern water fountain. Was there anything else?"

"No, thank you, Headmaster." Rosa says cordially.

"My pleasure. Have a nice night, Mr Howl, Ms Spring." He walks past them, stopping a few long paces ahead,

"Oh, and just as a note, I prefer Mikoto." Without looking back or speaking again, he continues on his way. Rosa cracks up,

"You watch 'Free'?"

"Well, obviously you do." I snarl, smacking him upside the head. He pauses, smile fading and face reddening.

"Still..."

"Shut it, alright!"

"What do I always say?" He chides, wagging a finger. Smirking,

"You'll never get along with the men-folk if you keep acting that way."

"Oh shut your gay-ass mouth!" I snap, storming ahead, hopefully towards the cafeteria. He doesn't stop laughing until we reach the store.

The store ends up being a Val-Mart general store, complete with grumpy, underpaid, tired staff.

"Welcome to Val-Mart..." The greeter monotones as the we enter the unhygienic store.

"So, what do we need?" Rosa asks, looking to me. His voice, however, doesn't entirely register. Taking in the meat department, I feel my mouth watering slowly.

"Aaaaambeeeeeeer... Hellloooooo?" He waves his hand in front of my face, snapping me out of my daze.

"Oh, right." I bring out my scroll, going to the list I'd compiled.

"Let's see... I need shampoo, a new pair of pants, a new shirt, a new pair of boxers and a new bra, a stick of deodorant, some toothpaste and a toothbrush, a bar of soap, some... girl's supplies, and lastly." I shut the scroll,

"Bacon. I need lots of bacon." Rosa stares at the floor, sighing and covering his eyes with one hand.

"You seriously didn't pack a single thing, did you?"

"I brought... Yeah, not a thing."

"Well, let's get started... Send me a copy of the list, we can get the done faster if we split up. I'll take the first half, you get the second half." I nod, using my scroll to mail him the list. He pulls it up on his own tablet. Without another word, he glances up, and sets off for the 'Soaps and Shampoos' aisle.

I set off after my own first goal, thinking to myself,

"This'll be a breeze."

"I'M SO FUCKING DONE WITH THIS!" I roar in frustration. Huffing and puffing from frustration, The shopping cart's handle bends as I squeeze it into a brand new shape.

An hour, a FUCKING HOUR, has passed and I've only found the first two items on my end of the list.

"E-excuse me..." A soft, familiar voice intrudes, throwing some water over my blazing mood. I turn my head to see the rabbit Faunus girl who'd shown Rosa and I to the sleeping area on our first day.

"Oh... Velvet, right?" I blink twice, surprised by her appearance. And then I spot the looming giant behind her. Easily twice my height, a massive, broadly built Asian man stands holding a 'sensitive' soap box, reading it's label very carefully.

"Yeah, and you're Amber, if I remember correctly."

"Mmhmm." I nod, releasing the cracked and bent handle of my shopping cart. Boy, did her attitude soothe the feral beast.

"You okay? You seem to be having a little trouble..." She nods at the suffering cart, concern evident in her gaze.

"Yeah, fine." I shrug, "I'm just having trouble finding what I need..."

"Do you want me to help you?"

"I'm fi-"

"You really don't seem fine..." She says, making me pause.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, it's completely okay. Yatsuhashi and I were just doing some shopping of our own, before the new year starts off." She nods up at the mountainous man, who looks down to Velvet with a soft expression.

"Well, thanks." I say, smiling shyly, unaccustomed to having people help me. Velvet nods, coming closer.

"Now, let's see that list." I pull my Scroll out from the shopping cart. I hand it to her, saying.

"Rosa's taking care of the top half, I just have to handle everything else. I've made it to toothbrush, but can't find the rest."

She starts walking, so I follow with the cart.

"Rosa? Isn't he that boy you were with on the first day?"

"Yeah."

"He seemed nice when I met him."

"He's a good friend." I admit, thinking of all he'd done for me throughout the years.

"And you two ended up on the same team?"

"Yeah, we ended up as partners."

"Guess that's only natural, you two being together." I shake my head,

"Whoa, we're not- It's not like I like him like that- I mean, sure he's great but- No!" My face heats up even further,

"We're just good friends, is all." Velvet smiles softly,

"If you say so." In a flash, she has the rest of my list in the cart. I didn't even realize she'd been getting things, I'd just been following her and talking.

"Well. I guess I'll see you around." She says, handing me back my scroll. She tugs on Yatsuhashi's pant leg, tugging him towards the register.

"Thanks again." I say, too caught up in other thoughts to really say anything of meaning. I mean, sure Rosa and I were close, but... Not like that, right? Nah, I'm just overreacting to what Velvet said. I take the cart, and head back to where Rosa and I parted ways. So caught in thought, in fact, that I run right into the very person I'd been thinking about.

"Geez! Watch where you're going, Amber!" Rosa cries as I nearly push him over. He brushes me off, then himself,

"Ready to check out?" He asks, holding up a shopping basket filled with the other things. I only nod, following him to the only open aisle.

He IS pretty good looking... What? No! I AM NOT thinking this way! No. Nononononononononono and NO! There's no way I can think that way about him!

I let Rosa take care of getting everything checked out before using my scroll to pay. Grocery bags shared between the two of us, we head back. Back to our dorm. Where we share a bed. A SMALL bed... Oh.

I shake my head to prevent more of THOSE thoughts from coming into my mind. Rosa touches my hand, shocking me out of my own thoughts,

"Hey, you okay? You've been acting weird..."

"I-I'm fine. Just tired, is all."

"You sure?" He asks, concerned.

"Of course I'm fucking sure! What kind of a dumbass question is that!" I snap, to put him at ease.

"Geez..." He holds up his hand, chuckling.

"I'm just worried, is all." He sighs, dropping the subject.

"Rosa," I bump his arm, "Trust me, I'm fine." He looks up into my eyes, and then nods, not saying another word. Once we reach the dorm, he goes into the bathroom to change. I put the groceries away as quietly as I can, not wanting to wake Eren, who's peacefully sleeping in his hammock. Jaybird is lying in bed, typing on a full sized laptop. He grunts quietly in greeting once he realizes I'm here, taking a sip of cream soda.

I go back to taking out the groceries, until I reach the bag with the clothes Rosa had gotten for me. Not only was there what I had asked for, but also a pair of light blue polka-dot pajamas. Asshole. Now he's gone and done something nice... Again.

I take the pajamas after I unpack all the shit, and go into the bathroom once Rosa was done, grumbling,

"Thanks..." As I pass him. He chuckles. I get changed, and come out to find him curled besides the bed once again. I kick him lightly,

"Hey." He opens one eye and trains it on me, "You can sleep up on the bed." I get in, throwing the covers over myself. After a few, awkward moments, he gets in as well, heating up the whole bed. The lights turn out, probably by Jaybird's doing. Blushing severely, I curl up against Rosa's chest, falling asleep. He didn't say a word, just started to pet my hair while I drifted off.

Unfortunately, my dreams that night were not pleasant. I woke up screaming, with him holding me tight and telling me it would be ok, but for the life of me, I couldn't remember what I had been so damn scared of. Fucking pathetic.

**((And there we have it. Completed at 2:45 AM. I'll post this around 8:30, when the parental controls on my phone grant access to the Internet. I enjoyed writing this one, and hope you enjoyed reading it. Thanks to Aminyia for making this a favorite, and thanks to all the reviewers who've been nice enough to comment. To LoneWolfofShadow: Like Gsusloves said, I don't dislike SAO, in fact, I like it's art and storyline a lot. I just can't find any character who I really love and become invested in enough to keep up with it. Also, Kirito, for whatever reason, annoys me to no end. Take that as you may.**

**Now, for the soundtrack:**

**Forever- Jeff Williams(feat. Casey Lee Williams)**

**Dream Come True- Jeff Williams**

**In Fate's Hands- Red Jumpsuit Apparatus**

**Walk That Way- Aerosmith**

**Back in Black- AC/DC**

**WELL, until next time, dear readers! Allons-y!))**


	12. Chapter 12

R Chapter Twelve

**(No point in dawdling. I'm getting right to it this time.)**

It took me a good while to calm down. Once I did, I realized that Jaybird, Eren, and Rosa were all holding onto me in some way, keeping me held down, but not uncomfortably so. I was drenched, head to toe, in sweat. My palms were bleeding where my fingernails had broken skin and cut into me.

"I-"

"Hush. Don't talk." Jaybird cuts me off, releasing me and leaning back, wiping sweat from his brow,

"Not yet." Rosa keeps his arms around me, holding me tightly against him. For once, I don't mind being held this way.

Eren simply looks worried, brow furrowed and eyes a little wet.

Someone knocks on the door.

Galvanized into action, Jaybird bolts up, taking a moment to orient himself. He moves to the door, opening it smoothly.

Rosa sits me up, keeping his arm around my upper back, since I can't stop shaking like a fucking retard.

"Hello?" Jaybird asks. A voice I can't make out responds.

"It's ok. One of our team members just had a bad nightmare." Another pause, and indecipherable speaking. A girl, maybe?

"Yeah, she'll be ok. She just came to a moment ago." The door cracks open a little wider, and I can catch a little more of the other person's voice. High pitched, officious and commanding, it says,

"Well, if it's no trouble, I'd like to see that nothing's the matter myself."

Another, new voice speaks,

"Weiss, if he says it's ok, maybe we sho-"

"Ruby, I'm getting to the bottom of this issue now. You don't just wake everyone up with screams at three in the morning without a good explanation!"

Jaybird opens the door wide, letting in a girl in a white night gown, with long, straight white hair. She approaches me, eyes cold and analytical. Then, she kneels besides the bed,

"Are you certain you're ok?" I can only nod, unable to speak since I'm shaking so much. The other girl, one with short black and red hair, walks in with more hesitation. She's wearing pink polka dot pants and a tank top with a big red heart plastered to it's front. The girl with black hair speaks softly,

"Um... Well, since everything's ok, we'll head back now. But," She looks at me,

"If any of you ever need anything, we're right next door. Just knock, and we'll try and help, ok?" I nod again, and Rosa gives me a gentle squeeze. The white haired girl, Weiss, stands, rejoining her friend. Together they leave the small dorm, going back next door to their own.

My stomach churns, and I growl deep in my throat, annoyed at this idiotic response to a dream. Rosa sits besides me, holding me still. It takes a while for my body to settle, but eventually, I'm able to croak out two hoarse words.

"Fuck... That..." Rosa can barely stop himself from laughing,

"Two whole hours of you either screaming because of nightmares or unable to speak because you were scared until you were sick, and those are your first two words?"

I look over to him, crossing my arms across my chest, mostly to suppress what's left of my spasms.

"Wh-what'd y-y-ya exp-pect?" He shakes his head,

"Nothing less from you." He pushes lightly down on my shoulder, against the bed. Putting a pillow beneath my neck, he sighs,

"Now sleep. You'll need some good rest." I reluctantly comply, closing my eyes, and drifting off to a more peaceful rest.

A high-pitched, painfully loud bell pierces the air, shocking my eyes open. I jolt up, wincing at the resulting headache. I'm just as quickly blinded by my uniform, flung into my face.

"Amber, hurry up and get dressed." Jaybird says.

"Eren and Rosa went to get you some pain medicine from the store, but we need to get to class." Groaning, I take the bundled uniform in one arm and get changed in the bathroom. Once I'm out, I find Jaybird waiting for me, already dressed.

"Let's go." He says, grabbing my arm and dragging me with him as he dashes through the halls, weaving through the crowd.

Feeling exposed without the tape I always wear, I lower my head and try to flatten my ears against my head as much as I can without the tape. We make it to Professor Port's class in no time, and find seats in the back of the class.

A few moments pass, and Eren and Rosa dash in, just as the bell rings. They join Jaybird and I up top, just as Port starts speaking.

"Hell, once again, students, huntsmen, huntresses, citizens. Today we will be learning about the biology of a..." His voice slowly turns into an indistinguishable, garbled mess, thanks to the fact that he's talking about anything remotely academic...

I find my eyes growing significantly heavier, and as I drift off into unconsciousness, I force my eyes back open, only to find myself staring right into the eyes of what could be the most terrifyingly childish person on the face of the planet earth.

Locke Greyson, an old classmate, and long time rival, Rosa and I had attempted to leave him behind in Signal. That had obviously not worked. He grins mischievously up at me, letting his steel-blue eyes rake me up and down.

What a creep.

He flashes a peace sign as he leans back in his chair, kicking his combat boots into the table, fishing a cigar from his fatigues, and lighting it right then and there, using one of his 'expensive, cherry wood matches'. Port is too busy telling one of his stories to notice.

Ash lightly dusts his plain, tan T-Shirt as the cigar burns up in an oddly fragrant aroma.

Rosa and I share an annoyed glance, simultaneously cursing under our breath.

"How do you think HE got in?" I ask quietly,

"Maybe he cheated?" Rosa suggests, coughing politely after accidently breathing.

"No way. You remember that exam."

Locke closes his eyes as he smokes, seeming to drift off. But we know better. Locke's semblance is like nothing we'd seen before, an ability he'd used against me on multiple occasions. The guy was an expert in black mail. He could focus any one of his senses to a peak that allows him to recognize even the faintest of hints, the smallest of signals, and interpret their meanings in moments. By looking and listening, he could know literally everything about a person in minutes. And that caused issues between us. You see, Locke isn't the most _open minded _of people.

What he IS, is cruel, calculating, and clever as all hell.

And he's here.

At Beacon.

Sitting right in front of me.

Where he could get enough leverage to tear down everything I have just come to start to enjoy.

That's FUCKING BRILLIANT.

**((And that's that. I feel like this one's shorter than the previous two, but as ya'll know, I'm really bad at judging that before I post the chapters. With any luck, you guys will enjoy this one. Also, thanks to Eternal Samurai for the follow and favorite, as well as to ALL my readers out there. You all know I appreciate your time and commitment to my little story. Now, you'll excuse me, I have cookies to eat, comedy and anime to watch, and Hulu to download.))**


	13. Chapter 13

R Chapter Thirteen

((Ok, you guys, buckle up, this is where shit really starts getting intense. Now that Locke has been introduced, I can get shit moving. I hope you all remember the guy from the exam with the black sword, cause he's no fucking joke, and he will be making an appearance. On a regular basis. Also, you may want to pay attention to small details, I enjoy laying hints for future chapters in seemingly inconsequential seeming things.(as well as filling this fanfiction with Easter egg references.) So, buckle up, fuck trucks, cause here we go!))

I storm out of the class, Rosa on my tail, literally.(It slipped out, and it wouldn't look right if I just started sticking my hand in my pants.) Somehow, Locke's already waiting outside, calmly smoking his cigar as I stop dead in my tracks.

"You're not happy to see me, Amber?" He asks, a fake smile on his lips.

"Fuck off." I snarl, held back from pouncing on the son of a bitch then and there by Rosa's hand, which rests clamped on my shoulder.

"Oh, but I just wanted to introduce my friend, here." He waves at empty space, but before I can come back with a snarky reply, a piercing screech tears the air, and in a blur, a young man appears. Long blonde hair flows down to his mid-back, with an ornate, black circlet resting upon his head. He wears a student uniform, but also a sash around his waist, bearing an insignia that reminds me of a snake's eyes. I know this bastard. It's HIM. The SOB who had been in the burnt clearing, the one who has spooked Jaybird.

Speak of the devil, and he shall materialize from nothingness besides you. I'm paraphrasing of course. Jaybird steps out from his void, eyes narrowed.

"I believe we've met." He says with not even the slightest hint of a kind facade. The young man gives the most venomous of charming smiles, revealing canines that seem just a little too big.

"Yes, I believe we all have." He says soothingly.

"Though we never introduced ourselves." Jaybird continues,

"No, I believe we didn't." Their eyes haven't broken contact yet, and honestly, it's scaring the shit out of me. A hand touches Locke's shoulder, and he literally gives a short cry of surprise. Eren stands behind him, face deadpan.

"There a problem, Jaybird?" He asks. Locke's eyes widen, his surprise evident.

"No, it's ok, Eren. We're just meeting new friends."

"Night Kronos." Says the blonde, offering his hand. Jaybird doesn't take it,

"Dean Burns. Come on, let's head to class." Says the somber young man, nodding his head away from the other two. As we walk away, led by Jaybird, I look over my shoulder. Night is staring right at Jaybird still, blue eyes literally glowing. His expression can only be described by likening it to that of a house cat that found an injured mouse to play with. He doesn't look away, at least not so long as I'm looking. Locke's gaze, however, is steadied on me. He slowly, deliberately, and purposefully licks his lips.

What a fucking creep.

Disgusted, I turn back to the others. Eren, now side by side with Jaybird, looks perplexed.

Jaybird determined.

Rosa looks a little flustered.

And me, I imagine that I just look annoyed and pissed off as all hell.

I had trouble focusing the rest of the day, as I kept going back to thinking of Locke's expression. And what it would be when I tore his black heart out of his fucking chest.

During Ooblek's lecture, I scrolled half heartedly through my Scroll's messages, and found one I hadn't been expecting. One from a user called "Pantheon Antithesis". The message reads as follows:

To Amber Spring

Keep your wits and friends close. Beacon is no safe haven from the darkness.

What the literal fuck is that supposed to mean? Probably some idiot trying to scare the freshmen.

Still... I'll show it to the others later, I mean, at the very least we can get a good laugh out of it. Rosa, as always, is taking notes and absorbing everything that comes out of Ooblek's firehouse of a mouth. Jaybird seems to be sleeping, but once again, his Scroll is propped up, recording the lecture. Eren's holographic display within his hood is playing... Is he playing POKÉMON ON HIS HOOD?! What the hell! I want one! He notices my stare, and nods, allowing himself a simple smirk, just to rub it in.

I shake my head, mentally making a note to nab that cloak when we were supposed to be asleep. Check out his team.

Sighing, I go to the sketch pad app on my Scroll, doodling little pictures of Rosa freaking out over tiny issues.

And then realize exactly what I'm doing, delete the page, shut down my scroll, and bury my face into the crook of my arm. I groan, a little too loudly, because Ooblek stops, but luckily, I'm not the only idiot in class today. A shaggy, blonde haired kid down front and center suddenly sits up, mumbling something and catching Ooblek's attention.

"Ah, Mr Ark, finally deciding to take an interest in class! Now, what can you te- blah blah blah blabiddity blah bla-aaaaaAa!" I lose track of what the teacher's saying, drifting of into a daydream about many different things. Which may or may not be limited to the anime I'd taken a liking to lately. I mean, how could I not love that show when Nai and Gareki are so cute?!

ANYWAY.

I glance over to Rosa to find, to my utter surprise, that he's not actually working now. He seems to be watching a video. I barely hear

"Bitches love canons..." Out of one of his ear buds. Rolling my eyes, I lay my head onto the desk. And leap upright, scared shitless by the bell. My chair falls backwards, tugging on my tail, and with a painful jerk, pulling me along with it.

An involuntary yelp escapes my lips as I fall flat on my back.

"Amber!" Rosa leaps up, almost tripping on his own chair. Helping me up with one hand, he helps my tail out from beneath the chair with his other. I feel my face heat up, removing my hand from his ASAP.

"You okay?" He asks,

"Of course I am! What kind of a question is that?!" He holds up his hands in surrender,

"Hey, hey, don't get mad at me. I was just worried is all."

"You always worry too much." I growl, putting my hands on my hips. He shrugs, opening his mouth to say something.

"Oi, love birds!" Jaybird calls with a smirk. Both of us tense, turning to him and shouting,

"Shut the fuck up, Jay!" He snickers, shrugging,

"We need to go to lunch." He announces.

"Yeah, and I need to take you down a notch!" I threaten, baring my teeth. Rosa pats me on the back,

"Calm down, Amber. He's just kidding, after all." He smiles sweetly as he walks past, headed down the stairs.

"F-fine." I grumble, following behind him.

At lunch, I'm forced to ignore stares and whispers about me while I get my food and sit down with the others.

"Get enough meat, Amber?" Eren asks as he takes a gander at the mountain of flesh piled on my tray.

"Shouldn't you get a few fruits and veggies?"

"I'm carnivorous," I respond, "Those fruits and veggies will make me puke my guts out." I note, wagging a drumstick at Eren.

"It would be like if one of you guys ate Vacuo-Bell. NOT a pretty sight." Rosa nods,

"You should have seen the look on Mr Qrow's face after Ma Hudson made her eat celery, and she threw up on her desk. I could've sworn he was going to kill Ms Hudson for her mistake."

"Qrow was nice." I say between mouthfuls,

"Qrow was a bona-fide badass."

"Like the Master Chief." I offer,

"Or Shiagorath." Eren comments.

"Who?" The rest of us ask.

"You know, Daedric Prince of Madness?" His attempt at clarification is met with blank stares.

"I give up." Without another word, I go back to eating, while Rosa and Eren start talking about praising the sun or something.

"Hey," Jaybird says, calling our attention.

"Douche bag incoming, three o'flock." True to his word, Cardin Winchester and his lackeys slowly approach our table.

He's about to make a snide remark, most likely about my tail, when Rosa swats the air with his hand. With a hollow thump, Cardin is flung backwards through the air.

"What the-?! How'd you do that?!" He demands as he stands.

"Fuck you, that's how." Rosa almost laughs halfway through speaking. What a dumb comeback, anyway...

And then, with fairly convenient timing, Professor Goodwitch walks into the cafeteria, narrowing her gaze to Cardin.

"We'll finish this later!" He threatens.

"He sure does talk a lot..." I growl, before tearing I tow chicken breast.

"Man, with how much you eat, you'd think you'd have bigger bo-" Eren starts. I kick his chair leg out from under him before he can finish, snarling wordlessly at him. Rosa snickers,

"Dude, before you go farther, there are three things you don't do with Amber.

Number One: You don't make fun of her mom."

"No one makes fun of my mama." I growl,

"Number Two: You don't mess with her while she's motion sick, unless you feel like getting kicked in the nuts."

"You get motion sick?" Jaybird asks. I only groan in memory of all the bad times I'd had with that...

"And lastly, you don't mention her..." I glare at Rosa. He'd better word this very carefully, that is, if he ever wants to procreate.

"Proportions."

Jaybird fails at stifling a laugh.

Eren just cracks up.

And Rosa, he just shrugs, sharing an empathetic look with me, before I kick his chair over too. Then he laughs harder, and I have trouble not joining in and laughing myself. I do, however, allow myself a brief smile.

((And there we have Chapter Thirteen, pretty lighthearted, and I hope I can keep it that way even after really serious moments. Oh, and as a note, I don't SUFFER from insomnia, I make use of it. Which is why I write A LOT. I've got nothing better to do. Well, I'm just gonna say that I am going to try to sleep so I can wake up for school tomorrow. Hopefully I succeed. Wish me luck. -Sincerely, Aegis Fell, your friendly neighborhood anonymous author who hates people and as a general rule doesn't give a single fuck about living up to social norms.))


	14. Chapter 14

R Chapter Fourteen

**((I'm actually typing this one from a computer, since I was grounded from using my phone, so it might be spaced or worded a little different than usual. I'll try to keep posting on a regular basis, even when my options are limited. So, if any of my readers have been trying to get into contact with me but have not been able to, it's probably because I don't have my phone. Luckily, I still have access to the family computer, and can therefore keep writing even without my typical set of tools. Well, now that i'm done with that PSA, we can move on, right? Well, here we go, ladies and gents!))**

Applied Skirmishing, Professor Goodwitch's class, is definitely a class I can get behind. No boring statistics, no dull speeches nor tedious paperwork. This is a class about only one thing.

Fighting. And that's what I do best.

What I hadn't expected, though, is the amount of sitting we do. There are always fights going on, and so it's still enjoyable, but the majority of the class is watching others fight and applying what the do to your own style in order to improve and adapt to the constantly changing factors in the miniature arena.

This is no class to sleep through. Today, I'm on the sidelines. Rosa, however, is front and center, one of the two combatants in the lowered platform where the fights take place. They were about to start, when Jaybird takes a seat besides me, whispering,

"How do you think he'll do?"

"He'll win." I don't doubt it. There's no way he can lose, not against his opponent. Cardin Winchester.

The larger boy smirks, looking down at Rosa's tiny frame, resting his mace on his shoulder as he sizes his opponent up.

"This is for earlier, at lunch." He says from deep in his throat. Rosa doesn't respond, but instead takes out his staff, glaring at his opponent.

"Begin." Goodwitch announces.

Cardin leaps forward, bringing his mace down where Rosa HAD been standing. As though he were gliding on air, Rosa floats backwards, lightly touching down. He spins his staff, bringing it to point at Cardin. Red light gathers in the center of Shrine Petal's end, electricity sparking close to the light's center. The bully charges forward, mace held out to his side. Swinging it in a large arc, Rosa sidesteps out of the way of his attack, feet barely touching the ground as he dances around the lumbering giant.

The light on his staff grows in strength and intensity, a low-pitched humming emanating from it's center. Cardin backs up rapidly, making frustrated noises from deep in his throat.

"Dodge this!" He commands, slamming his mace into the ground in front of him. There's a brief delay, and then the ground erupts upwards, exploding in a wave of fire and stone. Rosa stands his ground, standing with his staff pointed towards the wave of ruin.

"No." The light explodes outwards, cutting through the explosion, and slicing right through the floating chunks of stone. Cardin rolls out of it's path, crying out in surprise.

"This is for Amber. Now," Rosa snarls, raising his staff. It's end bursts into light red flames, casting a surreal light over everything in the arena. Cardin's eyes widen, and Rosa lowers the staff to him, "BURN."

"I GIVE!" He yells, dropping his mace.

"Coward." Rosa turns away, extinguishing his flames. He heads into one of the two changing rooms attached to the arena, letting his staff collapse as he fits it into it's holster. Cardin sits and gathers himself, holding his head in his hands.

"Monsters... They're all monsters..." He mumbles to himself.

Rosa meets up with us all pretty quickly after class ends, looking like he'd gone through a wringer, eyes half lidded. I furrow my brow, shaking my head,

"Hey, asswipe, you over did it. Don't push yourself so much in a stupid match like that. Especially considering you're still not used to using your Propulsion so much."

"Propulsion?" Jaybird asks, taking out his scroll. I nod,

"It's his semblance. You saw how he was floating all over the place during the fight? It allows him to push something without touching it, or to move quickly without touching the ground."

"So then," Eren starts, inclining his chin, "When you pushed Cardin earlier today, that was part of your semblance?" Rosa barely manages a nod, swaying on his feet. I get beneath him, stooping so that I can support his weight and help him walk.

"C'mon, back to the dorm we go..." I say softly, speaking into his ear. All four of us head back, but halfway there, around the cafeteria, Jaybird sighs,

"Well, I've got something that needs doing, I'll see you all at the dorm in a few hours. Don't wait up, okay?" Without another word, he backs up into his void, disappearing from view. I shake my head,

"I really hate it when he does that..." Eren only nods before continuing on our path back home. Groaning, I shake my head,

"Eren." He stops, looking back to me. "I'm going after him. Take Rosa home, OK?" The brown haired boy nods, taking Rosa from me and saying softly,

"Be careful." I nod, running off in chase of Jaybird. Following my nose, I track him by his cologne, which smells particularly... salty. After only a few minutes of following his scent, I reach the now empty cafeteria, where Jaybird sits atop a table, staring down at Cardin Winchester.

"I thought I had made myself clear the last time we spoke." Jaybird says, voice carrying an edge I'd never heard in him before, "I told you on the day of the exam that if you ever came after either Amber or any of my friends, that I would make you pay. Yet, here I sit, with you having attempted to hurt Amber on multiple times, and having just tried to hurt Rosa." Jaybird bends down, towards the larger, cowering boy.

"So, since you seem to have no reservations of hurting others, why don't I hurt YOU?"

"You," Cardin whimpers, "You wouldn't dare..." Jaybird stands, leaping down besides Cardin,

"And why not?" His mouth opens in a sick grin, "You think I'm threatened by you in the _slightest? REALLY?" _Helaughs, openly mocking him. Cardin stands, trembling still for no apparent reason.

"I'm not afraid of you." He announces, "I'll do what I want." Cardin makes a show of plucking something out of his arm. A dart?

"No, no one is afraid of me. What you should fear, though, is that our interests conflict. You want to bully Amber, despite it being very bad for your health even without me being in the mix, and I will protect my team. This is your last warning, Cardin, either back off, or I will throw you into the world I call home." He holds out one hand, the air tearing before it as one of Jaybird's voids emerges. Slowly, as it creeps wider and wider, hollow, unearthly noises sneak out. Noises present only in nightmares.

"Do you know what my name is?" He asks, smiling still as Cardin stares into the hole in the air.

"Dean..."

"Keep going...?"

"Dean J. Burns."

"Do you know what the J stands for?" Jay asks, leaning to whisper one word into the other boy's ear. I read his lips as he says,

"Joker."

"I had a nickname," He announces as he walks away from both myself and Cardin, "Just like Amber 'the Beast' Spring, and many others, I'm sure. Mine was 'the Bloody Joker'." He glances over his shoulder at Cardin, "They gave me that name for torturing the enemies I fought by inflicting small, painful wounds one at a time. I will make any vengeance that I take on you, dear Cardin, extremely slow and sweet." Without another word, he vanishes into his portal, snapping it shut behind him. Cardin just stares after him, nearly to tears, I think.

Someone taps me on the shoulder, making me jump. Jaybird grins,

"Did you like my performance?" He chuckles, "Don't worry, I made most of that up. I'm not THAT much of a sadist." I shake my head,

"You could'a fooled me. If you're all done, the others are probably worried. Let's go home." He nods.

"I can take care of myself." I add in as we walk.

"Yeah, I know. We all know. But sometimes even the most stalwart of us need a hand, even if it's just an extra fist to pummel someone in the face with." I look over to him, him and his odd behavior. His odd conduct and his bizarre attitude. His creepy, ever present grin and warm eyes.

"You're pretty creepy." I point out.

"And you're extremely bitchy." He notes, nudging my shoulder with his elbow. I flare up, snarling wordlessly.

"I'm glad I met you three..." Jaybird crosses his arms, sighing,

"You're not so bad yourself..." I growl, unwilling to say anything nice at this moment.

When we return to our dorm, I find Eren asleep in his hammock, and Rosa staring into books, waving sightlessly at us as we enter.

"Welcome back..." He says, yawning. I plop down next to him, looking at his books and papers,

"Whatcha doin'?" I ask, looking over the notes as though they had been written in a foreign language.

"Our homework for Professor Ooblek today." I give him a blank stare,

"We had homework...?" He only sighs,

"Don't fret your short-haired head over it, I've got you covered." He ruffles my hair, tickling my ears,

"H-hey! Don't do that...!" Rosa laughs, taking his hand back so he can type and write at the same time.

"You two... Jesus, just kiss already!" Jaybird groans as he gets into bed, rubbing his eyes, "Could you get any cheesier?"

"SHUT THE BLOODY FUCK UP JAYBIRD BEFORE I TEAR YOUR FUCKING ARMS OFF AND SHOVE THEM SO FAR UP YOUR FUCKING ASS YOU HAVE FINGERS COMING OUT OF YOUR FUCKING MOUTH!" I roar, face flushing bright red. Eren opens a single eye to gaze out from beneath his hood. Rosa raises one eyebrow and gazes at me out of the corner of his eyes.

"That..." Eren says softly, "Would be the definition of overkill." I glare at him, rage burning in my stomach.

Until Rosa starts petting behind my ears again... Damn him... You just can't be angry when someone's petting you. Eventually, I end up drifting off to sleep, leaned up against him as he scratches behind my ears.

**((And thus Chapter Fourteen is complete. I will continue to post through the computer until I get my phone back. See you guys next time- Aegis Fell, your everyday teenage (insert gender here) who has an overactive imagination and extremely violent tendencies.))**


	15. Chapter 15

R Chapter Fifteen

**((Recently, I realized that I've been putting 'R' behind the chapter number this whole time. Honestly, I've no idea why I keep doing it, but who cares. It's a tradition now. As a few people have commented, I've been posting a lot lately, and feel that I should explain something.**

**I'm highly obsessive at this point, because people are taking an interest in the story I can move forward at a crazy pace. The more attention and feedback I get from a story, the faster it progresses. So far I'm averaging about a chapter every two to three days, each chapter ranging anywhere from 1,200 to 2,800 words. Now. To the actual thing people enjoy. Also, I write mostly at night. TONIGHT, I'm writing on my phone. At six in the morning. At least it's a weekend.)) **

I wake up in possibly the most condemning position ever. On TOP of Rosa, head resting against his shoulder, one arm snugly fastened beneath his torso. Face heating up immediately, I sit up, checking to make sure no one saw that. Jay's MIA, but Eren seems to be well and fully asleep in his hammock, snoring dutifully.

Yawning, I stretch my back before checking the time (7:43) and getting off of Rosa. I blink the tears from my eyes; I'd fallen asleep with my contact lenses in. Grunting softly, I go to the bathroom, extracting them carefully. I don't have another pair... Well, fuck.

Reluctantly, I leave the bathroom, blind as a bat. I actually bump into a wall.

This isn't going to work.

A warm hand on my shoulder makes me start, squinting to try and see who's touching me. Rosa, who else?

"Here." He presses something cold and metallic into my hands, "Put them on." Slowly, I put the pair of glasses on, blinking as my eyes adjust to the prescription lenses. A perfect match.

"How'd you...?"

"I noticed your contacts in the forest, and then looked into your records to get your prescription, and finally ordered a pair of glasses for you, in case you couldn't wear your contacts one day." I look at him as he shrugs,

"No big deal." He says softly.

"Thank you..." I whisper, shocked at his foresight.

"Well, you can't keep me safe if you're blind, after all." He switches tone, setting hands on his hips and chuckling arrogantly,

"What use would you be then?"

"...what... Use...?" I snarl, curling my fists in anger.

"I'm gonna shower." He says, grabbing a towel and a uniform before locking himself in the bathroom.

"Rosa!" I shout after him, getting up close to the door, trying to force it open. He opens it quickly, make me step right against him, hands splaying over his chest. He clears his throat, making me step back quickly. The heat coming from my face could boil water.

"Unless you feel like showering with me, wait your turn and for god's sake..." He pushes me back gently, "Stop yelling."

I give a stifled shout of frustration, weighing my options. I nod, coming to the best decision. I kick down the door.

"Oh, shit!" Rosa cries, stumbling back and tripping. Luckily, I'd caught him before he'd gotten undressed.

"Listen here, you little shit." I snarl, "Keep testing me, and we'll get to see just how far I can shove a rod up your ass."

"Ooh, kinky. I bet he'd like that." Jaybird says, leaning in from _right behind me. _

I blush, jolting backwards and slamming the back of my head into Jay's nose. He stumbles back into Eren, gripping his nose. Eren puts his hands on Jay's shoulders, turning him around as gently as possible.

Rosa throws a bottle of soap at me, missing by a long shot. Instead, it hits Jay in the back of the head, knocking his head into Eren's... Face. They fall atop eachother, connected at the lips. Jay leaps off of him, surprised,

"Sorry!" He exclaims, "You okay?"

Eren nods, standing and brushing himself off. No one says _anything._

The whole room just got a whole lot more awkward.

"You wanna take your shower...?" Rosa asks quietly,

"Nah, uh, you go ahead..." I pick up the door, propping it up against the door frame to block the bathroom.

"So..." I break the odd standstill, "What's the weather like today, Jaybird?"

"High of seventy four, low of sixty one." He says idly, shaking his head and getting to packing his school books into a bag.

"Oh, come on, this is NOT the most embarrassing thing that's happened in this room." Eren groans, obviously tired of the atmosphere, "I mean, fuck, first things first, you and Rosa sleep in the same bed but aren't officially dating!"

"Officially...?!" I growl, giving him a warning glare.

"He HAS seen you naked, I mean, seriously." Eren declares, spreading his arms wide in indignation. "How is Jay and I accidentally kissing the most awkward thing yet?"

I stop short before answering, unsure about to answer.

"You ARE a really good kisser, though." Jay says, snickering as his face reddens, "And for those of you who are keeping track," He walks out the door, calling over his shoulder,

"I'm bi!" Something clunks in the bathroom as the shower turns on, followed by a grunt and moan.

"That's how." I answer Eren, turning to face the bathroom, "You okay, dumbass?" I shout, hoping he's dead.

"Ugh... Just dandy..." Comes his response. Too bad. Suppressing a road of frustration, I decide to ignore Eren as I get dressed, though I do catch him sneaking a glance once. I take my leave, throwing Locked Secret over my shoulder and storming away.

Class was a little less stifling, oddly, but probably because I was asleep for a good 90% of it. But then again, how can ANYONE stay awake during one of Professor Port's lectures. We sat in back together, as always, but it wasn't quite the same, for obvious reasons.

After class, I made a quick decision.

I made a break for it, abandoning the others before they could protest and running to the fountain that lies East of the central courtyard. Sitting at it's edge, I just dozed in and out of sleep. And then he came.

Night Kronos.

He just sat down besides my feet without a word, gazing out towards the ocean and city. Despite how wary Jay seems to be of him, I found him... Intruiging. Kinda like a weird flavor of potato chip. Eventually, he breaks the silence,

"You know, Goodwitch does rounds through the school to catch skippers, right?"

"I figured as much." He brushes his hair out from his face, adjusting his weird little circlet thing.

"Why'd you attack us during the exam?" I ask, looking at his eyes. Looking down through the corners of his eyes, he says,

"I was bored." And I am officially creeped out. I sit up, watching him warily,

"You were... Bored."

"Yep." He answers, popping the 'p' sound. He smiles, the corners of his lips twitching up.

"Aren't you the same? Always looking for something new to fight against?" He looks away, chuckling. "I'm just here for the ride, let me spill blood, and I'm satisfied."

Oooookaaaaay...

Yeah it's definitely time to go.

"I should-"

"Get going? Yeah, I imagine you should." He answers. I get up and walk away, refusing to look at him again as I make my escape.

You see, there's something about him. Something dark and wrong and off. He doesn't _feel _like a person. He feels like a _thing. _Devoid of conscience and feeling, of purpose and meaning. He doesn't feel like a person, he feels like a bloody, tainted, twisted sword. He feels like a weapon designed for only one thing.

Massacre.

Luckily, the others were neither angry nor annoyed at my ditching them. Instead, Rosa clung to me, holding me against him until I beat him over the head.

"Off...!" I choke, "You're killing... Me...!" He loosens up, but still refuses to remove his hold on me entirely. I swear he's on the verge of fucking tears.

"It's not such a huge deal!" I say, shaking my head at his comical reaction.

"Yeah, but still! I got worried!" I roll my eyes, but... Maybe it's not so bad, having people who give a fuck about you. Yeah, I could get used to this.

Rosa releases me, reluctantly agreeing to only be at my side 24/7. Jesus, I was gone for an hour at most, I don't get what the big deal is... Ah, well.

I guess I'm just a lucky chick, being here with them, having friends like these.

**((Ok, shorter chapter, I know. But I just needed to get it out there. It was hard to get motivated over the weekend when I had other... Distractions. AKA, anime. (New season of Aldnoah Zero!) Also, I feel as though this is one of my not-as-good chapters, so I apologize if I bored or dissapointed anyone. I'll probably post again soon.**

**Sincerely,**

**Aegis- Your everyday anime fanatic and small-time writer.))**


	16. Chapter 16

**R Chapter Sixteen**

**((About two hours ago, I checked up on DARE to see that there were over seven hundred views since the new year began. But no new reviews... Aw... Oh well. As always, forward to this next, actually dramatic, pivotal chapter. Here's to hoping I don't fuck up this chapter like the last one!))**

Sitting at our usual lunch table, I zone out as the others talk about the usual drivel, grades, papers and other such pointless topics. I try to ignore someone's incessant whistling, but to no avail, it's too high pitched for my ears. A beep rings over everything, drawing my attention to my Scroll. Casually taking it out, I take a look at the screen.

From: Pantheon Antithesis

To: .Spring

DUCK AND COVER. INCOMING

"What the...?" I wonder aloud, furrowing my brow over the message.

As the others continue to talk, I look around the room, spotting Locke and Night, along with two others, as the leave the lunch hall early. Locke catches my gaze and smirks, shaking his head as they exit.

A shadow falls over the lunch hall. My gaze darts up to a hulking, and most importantly, falling object. Oil black, and speckled with bone white outcroppings. A Nevermore is dive bombing right towards us.

"Down!" I order, jumping up onto the table, I bring out my shield, holding it above me as I get onto my knees. The Nevermore crashes into the glass ceiling, sending shards of razor sharp cascading down over the hall. Jaybird vanishes from sight, while Rosa dives for cover beneath me. A dark shape hits the ground besides us,

"I told you to duck." Says the shape, dashing away immediately. I start to shout something after it, but stop as I catch a gaze from Eren. He shakes his head, turns, and dashes after Locke.

A breath of hot air on my face redirects my attention, I shift the shield to my side, looking up at the slowly waking Nevermore.

"Jaybird!" The boy materializes a few dozen feet away, face cut to hell,

"What?!" He shouts, spitting blood.

"Go make sure Eren stays safe!" He nods, vanishing as he dashes after Eren. Rosa stands up besides me, panting,

"Jeez..." He looks up, following my gaze to the still-breathing creature of Grimm.

"Amber..." He starts,

"I know." It's eyes open, glowing red with pure rage. It struggles, caught in the rafters. And then the rafters shatter.

I take Rosa in one arm, dragging him with me as I duck out of the way of the falling monster.

"Someone get Goodwitch!" I roar, standing to face the Nevermore, shield ready.

"She's away with Teams JNPR, RWBY, and CRDL!"

"Then get someone else!" I snap at the other student as he runs off.

The massive bird leans in towards me, as though curious about me.

"Come on! I dare yo-" It lunges forward, and I barely have enough time to raise my shield. It's beak sends me flying backwards, slamming into Rosa. I roll as we hit dirt, going to my feet as Rosa lies on the ground, groaning.

"Get up, Rosa! I need you and your magic staff thing!" He slowly raises himself to his feet, looking up at the bird.

"Well that sucks then, cause I don't have it."

"WHAT?!" I snap, stepping in front of him in case the bird attacks again.

"Unlike some people, I don't carry my weapon everywhere with me!"

"God dammit, Rosa!" I say, keeping my eyes on the bird. "FINE! Get out of here before you get hurt!"

"I'm not leaving you!" You son of a fucking bitch, I will fucking kick your ass the next time we're not in a possibly fatal position.

"Go. Get. Port." I order, trying to stop myself from screaming at him. He hesitates,

"GO!" He nods, gliding over rubble and lunch table as he makes a break for one of the three exits. The Nevermore sees him running, and makes a move towards him.

"I refuse!" I roar, dashing forward and body slamming it shield first. It stumbles back a step, screeching as it pushes me back. It lunges, but luckily I'm able to get my shield up in time. Angling it to the side, it's blow slides off Locked Secret. I bring the shield up, sighing.

Heat floods my body, my vision turning red as ears buzzing. Ah well... Fuck. Here we go again.

"Fuck it!" Electricity arcs across my body as I bring the shield down on it's beak, cracking the dense bone where it meets the bird's mask. As the energy pours from me to the bird, it jolts once, and then bats me away with a wing. I roll, getting plenty of airtime after rocketing off of a ruined table. I try to get up, but just as quickly as I can blink, it's foot is over me, caging me in. It's beak draws closer and closer to my chest. As I lie there, trapped on my back, it suddenly stops, a high pitched ringing pierces the air, making the Nevermore stop.

A crashing boom pounds the air, making what little glass that's left in the room shake violently. A fireball the size of my torso slams into the Nevermore, making it screech. It flies away, still burning.

"Amber!" Rosa shouts, gliding over to my side. He kneels down besides me, putting his hand on my forehead,

"You okay?" He asks, sweat dripping from his chin onto my nose.

"Yeah... Just feel like I got thrown in for a spin cycle..." Professor Port groans.

"Glynda will be furious..." He says, completely unconcerned by everything else. At least HE has his priorities straight...

Everything else was pretty trivial today. Goodwitch returned, asked us a few basic questions, then went to work fixing the dining hall. We went to her class, watched some more boring fights, most of which were completely one sided. (I'm telling you, that Yang Xiao Long chick is not someone I wanna mess with.) And then we went back to our dorm, meeting up with Eren and Jaybird there.

"And you're sure...?" I hear from Jay as we walk in. He hangs up his Scroll, looking at us with relief.

"Good to see you two in good shape. I was a little worried." I shrug, deciding to play of the mortal fear and burning rage I'd felt during the fight.

"Meh. Wasn't anything I couldn't handle." I shrug, rubbing my neck.

"It really didn't look that way..." Rosa mentions, sliding a sly gaze over to me.

"You wanna die...?!" I ask, keeping my voice to a low growl. He laughs,

"No, ma'am..." Holding up his hands, he grins. I shake my head, groaning as I go into our bathroom, quickly changing into my pajamas and dropping into bed. I'm out before Rosa can even say,

"Night, Amber."

**((Woot, chapter 16! I hope ya'll enjoyed this one. To my anonymous guest reviewer, I must reply as follows.**

**Future plot points will not be spoiled... So shut the fuck up! (Not really. I actually really love that you guys are enjoying my story and leaving funny reviews like that. ^^) **

**Anyways, I must say that I'm surprised I got two out in such a short time. Whatever... See ya'll next time.))**


	17. Chapter 17

R Chapter Seventeen

**((Yep, you heard/saw right. I've finally decided to give this badass story an official name instead of just the placeholder title of Team DARE. Unfortunately, I've decided to reduce the canon teams to cameos and occasional appearances like Velvet's two showings with Amber, but no serious plot impact except on a relationship basis. As a note: We are currently at the end of the Jaunedice/Forever Fall arc in the RWBY timeline. **

**Now, I wish to state that I may not be posting for a few days after this drops, due to family who are coming to town to visit and a couple rehearsals for band, as well as a few personal... Responsibilities. Since I'm done now, it's time for me to continue on to writing. After all, it's what you guys came for, right?))**

The world around me comes into focus slowly, my head spinning as I fall out from another nightmare into reality, the floor greeting my face willingly. I hit the carpet with a loud flop, shaking a book from the side of my bed off, just so it can land squarely on my head. I mutter something about raping the book's mother.

Jaybird looks down with a look that speaks of many things: Insomnia, Confusion, amusement, and restrained laughter. Not exactly the most attractive face ever. I stand, hair falling around my face in a disheveled mess. Jaybird sighs,

"Amber, you know we have today off, right?"

"Oh..." I say, sitting back down on my bed. He blinks slowly,

"Go on, already. I've got groceries to get. If you all want, when I get back we could all head to Vale to see a movie. I heard the new Red Vs Blue movie was a huge success." I shrug, yawning.

"Alright, see ya'll." Jay waves as he walks out, closing the door softly behind him. I look over at the time.

It's 4:22:12 AM. Fuck. My. Life.

A quiet beep rings through the room. My scroll lights up, displaying a message.

FROM: Pantheon Antithesis

TO: .Spring

It's time we talked. Meet me at the fountain you spoke with Night at. Bring someone else, if it makes you feel safer.

I look up from my scroll, catching Eren's wary gaze. My eyes widen slightly. I hadn't even noticed he'd been awake. I stand, motioning for him to follow me quietly. As I open the door, Rosa shifts in bed and clears his throat. I freeze.

"No way are you two sneaking off without me." He says, a suspicious edge to his voice.

"Where are we going?"

"To get answers." I respond. He shrugs, throwing on a jacket, swiping up his staff, and grabbing my shield. I'd almost forgotten it. He hands the heavy drum to me, and I sling it over my shoulder, nodding. I lead the way out, following my memory to the fountain to the East of the main courtyard. Standing besides the bubbling water, is a... Thing. That's all I can really say about it. Shrouded by a shadowy, ragged cloak, it's impossible to tell what race, gender, or even really basic body build this person is. It's hooded head swivels to face us, a featureless mask hiding behind the hood. As we draw closer, I notice the numerous tears in the light fabric, and the glint of metal beneath it.

"So you brought everyone but Jaybird." Says the thing's voice, muffled and somewhat distorted by the mask.

"How do you know us." I demand, inclining my chin, drawing my shield and taking a single step forward.

"I know everyone who's ever googled something, Amber." It answers, spreading cloaked arms wide, "But I do take particular interest in those who've had contact with a few certain individuals."

"Such as?" I search the fabric, looking for any kind of symbol of emblem or really ANYTHING to tell me any little detail about this person. A cold sweat drips down my face.

"Night Kronos is one example." Eren narrows his eyes, taking a step back.

"What does that creep have to do with us?" Rosa says, crossing his arms.

"What does a vulture have to do with a pack of wolves?"

"Just answer the question! You said you wanted to talk, so tell us something useful or leave." I stomp my foot for emphasis. I'm not liking this... Thing. There are way too many unknowns and variables. Too many risks. This was a mistake.

"I said I wanted to talk. But I never said that I would answer all your questions. The situation is too precarious to just hand information out on a whim."

"Then I'll keep it simple." Rosa jerks his thumb at himself, "Are you here to help somehow, or to hurt us?"

"That should be obvious, but it depends on your definitions of those words." Rosa clenches his jaw. The mood isn't improving, and this is getting nowhere.

"Then how about we just start off by creating some kind of trust between us all. You could start by taking off the damned mask and cloak!" I growl, clenching my fists. Pantheon Antithesis shrugs,

"Would that make you more comfortable?"

"Yes." Eren answers immediately.

"Disable your Scroll's power cells. I don't want any hungry eyes gaining access to my image." Cautious prick. I hand my Scroll to Eren, who quickly makes easy work of it's battery, dismantling Rosa's and his own as well.

"Ok. Your turn." It waits a moment, then nods slowly.

"Very well." The cloak falls off around a suit of red and yellow armor, covering a tall, lithe, human woman. Though she has short, salt-and-pepper hair, she's the very image of youth. Except for her scars. Covering the right side of the woman's face are a series of deep, prevalent scars. An eyepatch covers her right eye. Her left eye is possibly one of the more disturbing things I've seen in my life.

Entirely red. The whole eye. Is red.

Black, burn like markings etch the scarred side of her face. With a shudder, I remember the red markings present on the bone-like masks of the Creatures of Grimm. They bear a shocking resemblance.

A series of weapons line her armor. At least eight pistols, two on each arm and two on each leg, a sniper rifle on her back, besides a smaller rifle. On her chest plate are several grenades, and on her shoulders are tethered two double barrel shotguns. A shortsword is hooked to her belt.

She replaces her mask, only speaking again once it had been securely refastened.

"Are you satisfied?"

I nod, coming out of my shock.

"Who are you?"

"You already know my name." She sneers, and if I could see her face, I imagine she would be wearing an exasperated expression.

"Not that. Who are you?" I ask again.

"Someone not to make decisions lightly. But, besides that, a nomad." She crosses her arms.

"You live outside the kingdoms?" Rosa asks, interest piqued. She only nods.

"Why are you here?" Eren pipes up.

"To answer few questions and raise many." Rosa seems to consider this,

"Who is Night?" He asks, closing his eyes.

"Not the right question." She says, her voice almost a guttural growl.

"What is Night?" I ask, pushing up my glasses.

"That is the question I expect you to seek the answer to."

"What's your goal?" Eren asks, taking his hood off. She hesitates, laughing to herself. After a moment, she sighs, coming to a decision.

"To kill War himself, and to banish his master." Pushing my glasses up, I take a breath, growling wordlessly.

"I only have one more thing to ask. Why are we standing here talking to you?"

"You'll see today. Watch the news. Look for the word Nightfall. Then you'll know why we should help eachother." Without another word, she throws her cloak back on, walking away, towards the cliff.

"I'll be in touch." She says, vanishing over the cliff's edge.

We walk back without a word, deep in thought. It's Rosa who ends up breaking our silence.

"Ok, well, I'd really REALLY like to know what that was about." He flops down onto our bed, and I sit down besides him. Jaybird appears in front of us.

"It was an interesting conversation, if not confusing."

"Figures you were watching the whole time." I mutter.

"Course I was!" He says, holding up his Scroll. "I even got video!" He quickly becomes somber again,

"Now, you were saying...?"

I explain how I got the first message, and then the one before the Nevermore attack, which was when Pantheon showed up in the flesh. However, despite having received the messages, I still know nothing about her. Once I'd finished, Eren hands us back our Scrolls fully functioning once again.

"We do know a few things." Eren offers before sitting back down in his hammock.

"Like how our Saturday is officially ruined?" I offer. I get a few nervous chuckles out of that, but not many. Boy, this seriously is messing with us.

"And what we're watching today..." Rosa brings the news up on his Scroll, scanning the headlines. I shrug, deciding to lay up against him and nap while the others decide what to do. Not my job anyhow, worrying like that.

I wake up to a pat on the shoulder, to an even more shell shocked Rosa watching a Breaking News story. The video feed shows burning Faunus bodies, being burnt alive by men in massive, black hazmat suits with flame throwers. Slums burning to the ground in Vacuo. And no authorities coming to the rescue. The headline reads:

**"VACUO BLACKMAILED BY NIGHTFALL TERRORISTS, HUNDREDS OF FAUNUS VICTIMS BURN TO DEATH. TERRORISTS MAKE CLEAN GETAWAY"**

**((****Well, folks, that's all for now. I'll probably update again soon. I honestly have no idea. But yeah. You all got a good view of one of the main antagonists, as well as a sneak peek at Nightfall. Ooh, things are getting intense, and there's no stopping this now. Buckle up, fucktrucks, it's about to get hot up in here.**

**-Aegis- Your friendly neighborhood masochist(read as: obsessive author)))**


	18. Chapter 18

R Chapter Eighteen

**((Yep. Another chapter already, and I don't plan on stopping any time soon. After all, who needs sleep? So even though weekends are probably a no-go for writing(especially this one) I plan to post a lot throughout the rest of the week. As always, your comments, questions, and concerns are always appreciated.))**

The scenes of desiccation keep coming, making my breath come in short, ragged breaths as I watch other Faunus, other PEOPLE get burned in their homes by the monsters in black hazmat suits.

Women. Children. Men. Elderly folks. Everyone. These are indiscriminate killers of my people. I take to my feet, standing slowly as electricity ripples through my muscles. Roaring, I punch the wall, putting my fist into the bathroom. After a split second, the electricity stored in my body discharges, blasting an even larger hole through the plaster. Rosa closes his scroll, burying his face in his hands as he swings his legs over the side of the bed.

A scroll hits the floor, and it's owner falls to his knees. Eren stares at his hands, bright green eyes shining wildly as his whole body shakes. He shifts himself against the wall, throwing his cloak off. It's the first time I'd seen him in just a tank top. All across his right arm are patterns of scar tissue, like melted wax. Burns that turned to scars. He closes his eyes,

"My God..." Jaybird breathes, "We knew there was something off about Night, but could he be involved with something like this?!"

"If Pantheon is to be trusted...? Yeah." I snarl, pulling my fist from the burnt wall. Rosa wipes his face, sighing.

"We can talk about this sometime later. For now, we need to cool off." He looks at me, eyes closed to red than pink,

"I have a plan!" He starts grinning, and I realize exactly what he has in mind.

"No." I say.

"You don't know what I'll say!" He protests.

"No, I really do!" Shaking his head, he takes out a bag from JC PENNY'S, tossing it to me.

"Everyone get dressed and ready to go!"

"Go...?" Eren asks, his spasms slowly diminishing.

"Yes, go! To the one place not even Amber can stay angry in!"

Oh fuck my life.

So here I am. On a strip of sticky, itchy sand, with a cold wind blowing in, water lapping too close for comfort, and to top it off, I'm in A FUCKING BIKINI. Yeah. Rosa decided to go to the one place I'm more uncomfortable than anywhere else.

He decided we'd take a trip to the beach after witnessing something that will haunt us forever. Oddly enough, though, Jaybird had readily agreed. Eren came along more so he wouldn't get left behind, I think. And me? Well... I couldn't just leave them all alone, could I? Would that be right?

Groaning in discomfort, I lie down far away from the water, resting in the sand, watching Rosa and Eren splashing around in the water. Silent as the devil himself, Jaybird, sits down besides me.

"Thanks for coming along. It's pretty clear you're not one to enjoy this kinda thing."

"No. And it frustrates me that I'm here right now. We should be getting ready to make contact with Pantheon, training, ANYTHING productive."

"That's why we're here." I stop, furrowing my brow as he continues,

"Did you see yourself, or Rosa, or Eren? All of us? There was no way we could think rationally at that moment. We need every advantage we have against an enemy that can blackmail an entire kingdom. That means that we have to be at our best." He jerks a thumb inland,

"You honestly we could have fought in hat condition? Eren was having a panic attack because he himself was nearly burned to death by a serial arsonist, Rosa, man I coulda sworn he was ready to kill someone. You? You WERE going to kill someone if you stayed in that mood. The way it acts, it seems you don't even have full control over your semblance. Do you?" He's right, of course. We weren't in any condition to fight or really do anything.

"No. It's an involuntary reaction, called Reflexive Electrical Defense. I never figured out how to use my control over electricity, except to power my cannon, so it flares out of control when I'm not focused on it." Jaybird's eyes narrow,

"In other words, you have no control of it and it comes out when ever you're feeling especially pissy." Nodding, I cast my eyes downwards.

"Well. Take it easy." He says, standing. He vanishes, and a moment later, he comes hurtling down between Rosa and Eren. I lie down, shutting out the world and trying to sleep, sung to sleep by a lullaby of joyous shouts and whispering tide. But humming in it's background are the hums of machines, reminding me of the world we were trying to escape for the moment.

My scroll beeps loudly in my ear. I would check to see who it is, but I have a sneaking suspicion that once I read that message, there'll be no going back. So I'll just lie here a little while longer. Just a while longer.

**((Well. That's that. I was gonna write more, but decided not to. Till next time.))**


	19. Chapter 19

R Chapter Nineteen

**((Ok, so as a note to avoid any confusion or misinterpretation, I'm just going to state that I'm pissed off and trying to cool down at the moment. So... If I ramble in my writing, give me a break, would ya'? Just need to get my mind off it.))**

I wake on the beach, the sun setting over the behind us. Rosa, Jaybird and Eren are all gathered around a small fire. Wordlessly, he raises a fish, baked by the fire, up into the air. It's scent catches in my nose, watering my mouth. I sit up blearily, wiping sand from my face. I crawl over, taking the fish from him without comment and sinking my fangs into it. Juices explode from it's scales, burning my hands and face. But who cares?! It tastes SO FUCKING GOOD. I accidentally let a low growl out, quickly tearing another bite from the fish before I even finish swallowing the first.

"So? Do you like the beach now?" Jaybird asks as Eren puts another fish on an arrow, cooking it over the fire. I nod happily as I down the meal, closing my eyes so I can savor the last remaining bites. Then I notice Rosa, who's staring at something on a scroll, eyes focused on the dim surface. And then I realize it's MY scroll. My mouth hangs open for a moment, as I hesitate briefly. I make a grab for it, but he leans back, dodging it. He grabs my wrist, tsking and setting the scroll on the opposite side of himself. Eren sets the fish to the side,

"Uh, I'm gonna go wait for the fallout to clear." He says quietly, before walking away silently. Jaybird hurries after him, saying, "Wait up! Don't abandon me!" Growling, I lunge across him with my other arm, not wanting to hurt him by wrenching my left arm free. He kicks the scroll just out of reach.

Finally fed up, I ball my fist and throw a weak punch at him. He takes the hit to his shoulder, laughing.

"What's wrong? You're not in it today!" He pushes me down and off of him. Standing, he brushes himself off. I snatch his ankle as he tries to walk away, tripping him. His other foot slips as it struggles to gain purchase on the sand, and then he goes and does something I just... Well he... I mean...

He falls on top of me, while I'm wearing a bikini, at dusk, on a beach, after wrestling around playfully. If I didn't know better, I'd say this is some cheesy romantic comedy. So of course my face flushes bright red, my chest suddenly feeling tight, and it gets hard to breath.

"Get off!" I say urgently, pushing him lightly. He stands up, scratching the back of his neck,

"Sorry..." He helps me stand, grinning apologetically. Bending over, he grabs my scroll from the sand, handing it to me.

"You'll wanna read the message on it." He says, walking towards Jaybird and Eren.

_To: __ .spring __, __ .rook __, __ .bishop __,_

_From: Pantheon Antithesis_

_DARE, from here on out, should you decide to proceed, you will be hounded by Nightfall. You will find no solace, no rest not comfort until the fight is finished. If you do not wish to continue, delete this message now._

_Very well, I will continue. Night Kronos is one of three main leaders of Nightfall. The other two are Ares Holiday, and an assassin known as Wandergaze. All three have been classified as Rank-S targets, so dangerous that many have abandoned hope on defeating them. However, out of the three, there is a weak link. Wandergaze. Reports from my agents have shown him to have reservations about Nightfall's actions, but not their goals. It's possible that with a unified effort, we can either sway him to our side or take him down. For now, he's our main target._

_Recently, one of my men let me know he crossed into Vale, with intentions of finding and eliminating me before I can become an even larger thorn in their side. I need you, DARE, henceforth referred to in these briefings as Pike to preserve your own safety, to find him. Report back to me using a dead drop at the fountain we last spoke if you find anything. Do not engage him in any manner. Wandergaze's semblance, weapon, and tendencies are all unknown. _

_His appearance, however, is in the open now._

_You are looking for a silver-haired male, hair brought into a pony tail of supposedly one foot in length, of below average height. He is known to wear a large, wide brimmed hat, dust coat, combat boots played with steel, cargo pants, and bandages around his left arm. His eyes are supposedly red, in the left, and blind in the right. _

_Rook, tell Crimson that our time is getting closer. It's almost time to come out. Please relocate to Vale ASAP._

_Do not respond to this message._

_Pike, welcome to the Daybreak Association. Godspeed, everyone._

_-Pantheon Antithesis_

Well then. Looking up, I see the others, standing in waiting at the water's edge.

"Well?" Jaybird calls. "We gonna start training and doing shit, or what?"

I smile, closing my scroll and standing to face them.

"Alright, y'bastards! Let's go for a run!" Rosa's grin fails as I start jogging down the side of the beach. The others fall in besides me, we've got a long way to go before I think we'll be ready to face off against the monsters described to us. But we CAN do this. We WILL. That alone is enough for me.

**((Ok, guys. This one's longer, thankfully, than the previous one. (Oops. Just looked at the word count... Sorry) I hope you enjoy cause I probably won't post again until Tuesday or Monday. Till next time!))**


	20. Chapter 20

R Chapter Twenty

**(To celebrate 20 Chapters of mediocrity, this 20th chapter will be kinda... Different. You'll see. I have reservations on how well this will work, but I feel it's needed. Now, we have to choices. Please, everyone participate in this vote, we can stick with Nightfall from here on out, or we can switch to Daybreak, for the title. Now, onwards to the wonky chapter.)**

I'd like to think I'm a nice guy. I'd like to think that what I've done and what I'm doing will help everyone in the long run. I'd also like to not be sitting in a muddy alleyway in Vale, getting rained on. That'd be great.

Too bad though.

I'll make this painfully clear. This neat little alley, filled with rats the size of Beowulfs, is like a three star hotel compared to some of the places I've napped. I could do this for days!

But I'd really rather not.

I constantly get weird looks from those with good enough eyesight to notice me. After all, I don't look like a hobo. Hobos don't wear $400 coats and antique hats. Most hobos DO have long hair, but it's rarely done up into a pony tail. Even rarer is the pistol hanging on my thigh.

I pull my hat further down on my head, growling as I try to sleep at least a little bit. Having to do things when tired makes me wanna kill people, and I'm not supposed to make a scene.

"Hey, sir?" A young voice calls. I ignore it. Only a police officer or an idiot would approach a shady looking guy with a big gun, sitting alone in a dark alleyway. Scratch that.

Make it both an idiot and an officer. Unfortunately, I severely doubt that the person speaking is either of those things.

I open one eye, hoping to catch the gaze of the other person and scare them off before I start running my gab. However, I'm caught off guard by a young looking girl, with shoulder length crimson hair. She's wearing a thick, white coat, with a red fur collar. Wearing scarlet pants, and a pair of black knee high boots, she's the spitting image of a teenager who thinks she's a badass. Standing at probably 5'8, she's above average height, but has a petite and cute body type that makes her look smaller in general.

But when I look into her royal purple eyes...

I can't help but piss myself just a little bit. Diamond shaped pupils. I really hope I'm hallucinating. Because if I'm not, then I may as well go die in a hole after being ran over by a semi truck dozens of times. Less painful that way.

"Good. Now that I have your attention." She crouches down, scratching the stone by her feet with her nail. She writes "RC" slowly.

"I'd really like to know why you're in Vale." Smiling sweetly, she closes her eyes, "And if you don't answer, I will probably end up eating you." She giggles cutely.

Remind me to never try running in a bikini again. Waaaaaaaaaay too many people thought it was a good idea to stare. I ended up shocking Rosa a few times by accident, when we'd bump into each other while jogging.

"How much longer...?" Eren moans, huffing as we truck on, despite my having to adjust my 'clothes' multiple times, Jaybird's incessant humming of the Indiana Jones theme song, and Rosa's general over-zealous attitude, I won't be beaten out by these silly conditions.

**((Just as a completely random side note, Popeye's chicken is delicious.))**

I ended up giving up. Yeah, say what you want, but I refuse to end up topless while jogging in front of dozens of people and while surrounded by three pubescent teenage boys. That would be the very DEFINITION of awkward.

So we ended up heading back to Beacon with plans on training in the gym at a later date. As we got back on campus, however, all four of our scrolls beep simultaneously.

A message rests across our home screen.

_SCHEDULE CHANGE. _

_Report to Professor Carter in Room 2013 after Applied Scrimmaging with Professor Goodwitch for a new required course._

_Bring all weapons and gear required for combat._

"Who the hell is Professor Carter?" Jaybird asks, eyes nearly burning holes in his scroll. "He wasn't listed as faculty when I researched Beacon."

"I guess we'll have to find out Monday..." Rosa says, closing his scroll and placing it in his pocket.

"Professor Randolph Carter." Eren begins, speaking in that deadly cold monotone, "Graduated two years early from Beacon Academy, with honors. Was distinguished for steadfast, responsive action at something called 'Hylea's Fall'. Maybe a battle? Anyway, he continued to get a doctorate in medical science, and then..." He drifts off as he slides through line after line of coding.

"...And then...?" Jaybird asks.

"Nothing. There's little to no reference to him, except that his name is listed among two others under a category called 'Crimson'. He reappeared two weeks ago, and was taken as the Professor of Medical Sciences here at Beacon." A shadow drifts over our group, as a monstrously huge man, skin as dark as fine, well polished spruce wood.

"It's rude, though wise, to ignore another's privacy." A deep voice sings, an accent similar to Velvet's touching at his vowels. We jump, recoiling in shock at the mountain that had sprung up behind us.

He wears a large, wide brimmed hat made from an old, cracking leather, a trench coat of the same material, fatigues, combat boots, and a crimson shirt beneath the coat. His inky black hair covers his shoulders in an untamed mop of dreadlocks. On his breast is pinned a metal rook symbol.

"I expect you all to be in my class on Monday, considering I now know your faces and know you saw my notice." He rumbles, his one visible eye shining as it appraises us.

"Enjoy your weekend." He says, passing through our ranks. The back of his coat are littered with old tears that had been carefully stitched back up. I believe the best term to describe him would have been,

'Well worn'

"So that means we've got another class to study for?" Rosa quietly asks, a thoughtful expression.

"If adjust studying Ooblek's by a few minutes, and Port could be reduced by a half hour..." He mumbles, running the numbers in his head.

**((Boom! New chapter officially posted! Shit's kicking into gear! Road trips sure are good at convincing me to spend some time writing. Also. Four words:**

**Five Steps From Hell.**

**Now. I hope to be seeing you all again real soon, so... Yeah. Any comments, questions, and concerns are welcome. Oooooh that was a broken down car... Sucks for that guy. Anyways, remembering to just keep walking forward and pushing on. **

**Sincerely,**

**Aegis- Your friendly neighborhood writer/gamer/self proclaimed artist and resident asshole. ))**


	21. Chapter 21

R Chapter Twenty-One

**((It feels like it's been too long since I wrote last. Seeing as not a single person expressed their preference in the poll last week over Nightfall or Daybreak, I'm just gonna assume that you either have no preference or forgot to answer. As a warning, there may be a point coming soon that is extremely graphic. If you don't like detailed scenes of people being killed and their corpses defiled in terrible ways, I'll warn you before hand and you can skip that paragraph. On to the good stuff now.))**

As much as I love meeting really terrifying, new teachers, I really wasn't looking forward to the coming school week. So as soon as I get back to the dorm, I flop down onto the bed, groaning loudly.

"Amber, go shower and get cleaned up." Jaybird orders, sitting down on his own bed.

"Whhhhyyyy meeee?" Whining into the cushion, my tail wags of it's own will. Stupid piece of shit...

"Because you spent the most time covered in sand, which can give you sand rash, and seeing as you have a bit of fur, you could also get parasites from it."

"I ain't moving." Jaybird stands, his hands wrapping around my ankles.

"Hey, what're you doing?!" I demand, turning my head to look at him. While my attention is drawn away and towards Jaybird, Rosa grabs my wrists. The bath water starts, and Eren walks out of the bathroom and sits down in his hammock. The pair carries me over to the tub, swinging me back and forth,

"Three..."

"Don't do this. You do and I'll-"

"One." Both let go of me simultaneously, jumping back to avoid the massive splash that follows.

"You left out two!" I scream, gripping the sides of the tub so hard the plaster cracks. The water is FREEZING. Shivering, I glare up at Rosa.

"I hate you..." I stand, only to slip and fall back into the water. But no, I didn't go quietly. I fucking SQUEALED. Yeah. Like a little girl.

Rosa tries to conceal his laughter as I sulk, Jaybird however, doesn't even try. He just laughs as loud as he can.

Jaybird grabs Rosa by his collar, dragging him out of the bathroom.

"Get cleaned up." He says, closing what's left of the door behind him.

I come out from that cursed room, covered by a towel, grumbling about how I plan on killing them. Seriously. I'm planning as I tell you all this. No, really. Why are you laughing?! Fucking asshole.

_Anyways, _as I had been saying.

Jaybird's absent once again, seeming to have vanished without a trace. Rosa is stitching something into one of our uniforms, hard at work. Eren is setting a TV and gaming console up by his hammock.

Tearing my gaze from Eren's work, I grab my clothes quietly, making sure to draw neither of their attention. I get changed right there behind them, too lazy to go back into the bathroom.

Falling into bed behind Rosa, he whispers,

"Sleep tight." My response was a gentle spoken,

"Fuck off." After all, it would be stupid for me to reply like a normal person.

Typically, were some random little girl talking like this, I'd shoot her in the head and move on with whatever this thing I call me life is. But. I've a sneaking, malevolent feeling in my gut. I've learned to trust those feelings. But, I can't afford to give anything away.

"If I weren't in Vale, where else would I be?" I ask her, glancing up at the night sky in hopes that it can tell me how to get out of this.

"Oh, I don't know. But maybe you'd be wise enough to tell me." She responds, swaying rhythmically. Her eyes stay trained on mine, unblinking, unmoving, and completely devoid of 'light'.

"Listen, girly, I've not got time for this." I stand, brushing myself off.

"Yeah? I've plenty. Now start talking before I lose my temper and kill everyone within a block radius." Her voice twinges. Out of fear? No. Stress? Not quite it.

"Fine. I'm here to kill someone. Happy?" Her whole attitude shifts, jumping from the sickeningly sweet tone to... Well, silence. She just turns and walks away.

"Thanks for the confirmation, Syl." She says, waving. My eyes widen a bit. I never told her my name.

"I'll remember this." She disintegrates, embers and strings of red energy creating a crimson cloud where she had stood. A cold sweat begins pouring from the skin. Crimson. That was Crimson. The legend that had killed hundreds, no, thousands, by _accident. _Though little was known about her, I'd never had expected a little girl... This'll have to get back to Ares. But first, I complete my job. Kill Pantheon, then I hand a big fat report to Ares and get out of this nut house.

School, I think, should be reserved as punishment for the worst of criminals. I don't think there's much anything more frustrating than listening to Dr Ooblek lecture. The guy can just keep GOING AND GOING AND GOING. I stopped understanding what he was saying a few hours ago. Jaybird, as usual, is sleeping while recording the lecture. Rosa takes meticulously detailed notes, even drawing diagrams and pictures of the subject matter. What was it again? Faunus Revelation or something? Ugh... I give up. It's MY history and I can't listen to all the stupid, boring details!

After a good period of time, the bell rings, discharging us to lunch, and after that, to Goodwitch. So far, the only class I enjoy, in spite of it's teacher.

As we walk into the arena-like setting, I catch a pointed gaze from Night. His steely blue eyes lock onto me, and he smiles. No, no, not a nice or friendly smile. No. Smile isn't even the right word. His lips bend into a tight curve, like the edge of some cruel blade. Fuck, he's creepy.

We take our seats, and Night finally diverts his attention away.

"Alright class, let's jump right into our load today. Any challenges?" Goodwitch kicks off, the bell ringing halfway through her sentence.

Night raises his hand. "Yeah, I'd like to challenge DARE." He says.

"Very well. Which team member?"

"All of them." I glance to Jaybird, who's eyes are squeezed shut. Kneading his hands, he nods,

"We accept." He announces, opening his eyes. Goodwitch raises her arms,

"Now hold on, children! This is extremely out of order!"

"It's fine." I say, standing. "We're willing." Professor Goodwitch hesitates, but nods.

"Very well. I'll allow it."

Jaybird stands from his seat, walking towards the stairs down to the changing room. We follow in his wake.

As we exit the main room, I catch a glimpse of Locke, sitting back in his chair, looking about as confident as always. So, 100% certain.

This time, though, it's my turn to be sure of myself.

"Do not underestimate him, whatever you do. We need to work together through this. He's leagues ahead of us, but should we work together, I think we can win." Jaybird clips his knife belt on. Rosa quickly changes into his combat gear, as Eren... Well he just sits there.

I ceremoniously equip my Locked Secret, the gauntlet-like drum fitting snugly over my hand. After a quick glance over our determined faces, Jay nods, closing his eyes for the briefest of moments. He turns, starting at a slow jog. We keep pace behind him.

"Amber! Up front! Juggernaut!" I nod, speeding up and unlocked my shield. It spreads out, locking into place before me.

"Eren! Fall back!"

"Rosa, keep her up! I'm going dark!" He vanishes into one of his pockets of shadow. The tunnel ahead opens, and I find myself on my back before I could even register we had gotten outside. Night stands besides me, eyes shining and face beaming,

"How cute...!" He exclaims in near ecstasy. Out of nowhere, Jaybird slams into him, catching him off guard. I get to my feet, trying to gain my balance back... The world spins, no matter what stance I adopt. Why?

Night leaps away from Jaybird, slashing his sword down through the air. The blade suddenly blurs, and the air screams. A deep furrow tears itself into the ground, an invisible force sending Jay flying over my head. An arrow goes over my shoulder, before being knocked from the air by Night's black blade. The blonde haired swordsman shakes, his eyes going skywards as a smile like a crescent moon spreads across his face. He vanishes, a blast of hot air buffeting me. Eren shouts out from behind me, followed by a curt 'thump'.

Regaining my ability to balance, I turn and charge, roaring as I barrel down on him. Reacting so fast he causes the air to shake, Night brings his sword up from his side and through my shield. Through...

The metal shatters, his sword buried deep inside it. The black, beautiful steel continues through the shield, a red sheen slowly coating it's edge. My knees slowly weaken beneath me, but why? I don't understand...

I follow the hilt of his blade up, my vision blurring. Did my glasses fall off?

I follow the steel up, until I see where it meets with my stomach. Where blood is draining from me. Where I've been stabbed. My ears start to ring as I fall off of his sword, falling to where my shield lies in pieces.

Why...? Why is it cold? Why...?

Distantly, I can hear people shouting. Can feel hands on my shoulders, on my arm and stomach.

I hope... I hope Rosa's OK...

**((I'm sorry that this took so long. I've got another chapter coming right out. Thanks to everyone who's stuck with me up till now. I'm currently working on some an official cover that'll show each member of DARE in a traditional RWBY cover fashion, so that'll be out soon too. **

**Lastly, I'd like to state that I appreciate each and every one of my readers. And that I feel all warm and fuzzy and proud inside when I see that I have a new follower. Now. Time to continue writing. ))**


	22. Chapter 22

R Chapter Twenty Two

**((Welcome back. Let's get going. No point in wasting time today.))**

Fuck... Fuck. FUCK!

Amber's body slides off the black blade, slapping against the ground among the shattered pieces of her shield. Night looks me dead in the eye, and smiles.

"You're not even worth the time." He turns. Laughing.

"I'll burn you..." He stops, listening. My eyes heat up, my body buzzing. My vision blurs, then snaps into a bizarre focus.

"I will burn you." I state more clearly. Bringing my staff up to rest even with him, my throat rumbles of it's own will. Bright white flames catch on the end of my staff.

"Intere-" Night begins, turning. A ripple of purple energy rips through the air and knocks him skyward. Professor Goodwitch rushes over, a shocked expression on her face.

Night hits the ground as the blaze on my staff dims. He laughs, staring at the ceiling.

"That was fun!" He exclaims. "Hit me again!"

"With pleasure!" She snarls, batting her hand at him. His head jerks upwards, and he falls back with a limp thud. I scramble towards Amber's bleeding form.

"Miss Rose, go get Professor Carter!" A high voice squeeze in wordless response.

I kneel besides her, touching her shoulder. My hand is quickly forced back by a blast of electricity, cracking through the air. My eyes find her wound, the bleeding pit of a stabbing. The walls of the red, welling laceration spark with wild electric pulses.

I lean in, trying to touch the wound. A meaty glove, scarred and pitted, grips my wrist.

"Can't have you dying too, kid." A deep voice rumbles. In a sweeping motion, the mountainous professor throws Amber over his shoulder, taking care not to touch the wound.

I stand, following after him.

"Stay." He commands, one shining eye looking over his shoulder. "She's not the only one within Death's grasp. I'll take care of her. You handle the rest." With that, he walks away, more gliding than walking.

I turn around to look at the others, taking a deep breath. I guess I need to get to work.

"They were taken down by Night so quickly..."

"What did you expect? He's the 37th Black Knight."

"Still... Should we have given him so much freedom?"

"Of course not. But we have little choice when it comes to his habits."

"They'll try and kill him, Ares."

"And they will fail."

I've never gotten drunk before. Never touched alcohol in my short life. However, when I came to, I imagine I got a good idea what a hang over feels like. A friendly tip:

Don't get hungover...

I wake up in a dark, cluttered, dusty room, on an old, rusty cot. A ringing covers every little noise as I try and sit up, quickly forced back down by the head splitting pain that comes with vengeance.

A burning sensation spreads through my gut. I take a look around the dim room, eyes gliding over the room as a whole. I scratch my chest, and with a start, I realize I'm topless. I quickly cover myself with my arms(not that there's much to cover), looking around wildly. I'm the only person in the room, thank god. An outfit of clothes sits on a table, a softly folded note sitting gently on top of them.

I take the note. Elaborate, dark ink lettering graces the slip of paper,

**_"If you're reading this, I'm out at the moment, probably getting some meds and chemicals. Sorry 'bout the shirt, it was a fire hazard. I'll explain soon as I'm back. Please, get changed. I'd rather not walk in on a naked student with temper issues. If you have immediate, dire needs, I suggest taking care of them yourself. _**

**_There's a bathroom behind my desk."_**

Sure. Go ahead and include the MD and PhD that I really don't give a flying fuck about. I quickly change into the t-shirt he'd left. It depicts a picture of a pig, wearing a bib and eating a bunch of BBQ ribs...

I'm gonna go ahead and not have anything more to say about that dumb ass design.

Taking a look around, moving slowly and keeping a hand on something to steady myself, I take a look around.

"How the fuck did I end up here...?" I wonder aloud.

"Well," Calls a deep voice, "It involved a duel, you getting stabbed, and me making sure someone didn't kill themselves trying to resuscitate you." I swirl around, immediately regretting it. Clutching my forehead, I glare up, squinting to try and get a good look at this clown.

His blurred image comes closer, as he keeps droning on and ON.

"It seems there's more to your semblance than meets the eye."

I growl,

"Who the fuck are you?"

"It would be best to not address me like that. Despite being an ass, I AM your teacher." The mountainous shape draws nearer, eyes gazing down at me with piqued interest. I can smell his earthy, dusty musk from several feet away. Dude needs to shower.

I squint, still unable to see him clearly. He sets something on a pile of books as high as my shoulders, turning towards one of the windows.

"Your glasses." He says. I take the thin rimmed glasses from the stack, placing them gingerly on the bridge of my nose.

My head screams in agony, making me shut one eye out of pain. I slowly adjust, getting a good look at the other person in the room. The new professor. Doctor Randolph Carter. Well...

That makes a surprising amount of sense. I really should have seen that coming from a mile away.

I take a seat back on the cot I'd woken on.

"I got hurt?" I ask as the headache ebbs away.

"Very badly."

"Night?"

"Of course."

"... Rosa?"

"He's fine. Got through with no more than a light burn. The others are fine as well. Eren suffered a minor concussion, but you were by far the worst wounded. A stab wound to the stomach is nothing to bat an eyelash at."

I sigh, rubbing my face as I slouch down.

"You were only out a day or so, so I doubt you missed anything important." I nod slowly, sighing.

"Can I go?" I ask eagerly. Not that I don't love old books, musty chemicals, and an old, intimidating man, but this room is giving me the creeps.

"You're free to leave whenever you like." He responds, seating himself at his desk and busying himself with some papers.

I don't bother responding, instead, I dash off in search of the others. Jaybird and Eren. And Rosa, too, of course.

**((That's all for today. Now, on a terribly morbid note.**

**For those of you who don't already know, Monty Oum has passed away. He suffered a severe allergic reaction to medicine administered to him, and died. Though unclear at this point, RWBY appears to be on track to continue in spite of this tragedy. Tragedies happen, and this is certainly one. **

**I plan on writing more than before in remembrance of his work. **

**Best of wishes,**

**Aegis- Your friendly, though a little sad, neighborhood writer, asshole/bitch, gamer, musician, and friend.))**


	23. Chapter 23

R Chapter Twenty Three

**((Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for our next installment of DARE/Nightfall. Whether you like it or not, here I come. **

**Spoiler alert:**

**There will be pizza, there will be video games, and there will be lots and lots of touching, cute, and just plain old tearjerking moments. Hopefully. You know how I roll. I set out with a specific goal in mind, and my brain's just kinda like, "Eh, nah. Let's do it this way that you never even considered as an option. I mean, fuck it, right?" And I cry the whole time I write, thinking, "But this isn't how I wanted to write it!" And the story responds, "BITCH I WRITE MYSELF"**

**If you can't tell, I'm seriously sleep deprived and high on caffeine. As well as in a bus filled with sweaty teenage boys and bitchy teenage girls.**

**So fuck off. Anyways, here we go!))**

Dr Carter's room ended up being in an old wing of Beacon where not many other classes are located. So naturally, I get lost before anyone else would even be able to count to three.

Turning what I swear is the same corner as the last eight times, I growl in frustration, slamming my fist into the door nearest myself. The wood splinters and splits, sending shrapnel and thorns flying out from the new hole.

"Well... You're violent..." Muses a quiet, smooth voice. I tear my hand out from the door, turning to face the speaker.

Who just so happens to possibly be one of the most bizarre looking men I've ever seen...

He's frighteningly thin, yet I have to look up in order to meet his dark, red-brown gaze. A well tailored, black suit hugs tightly to him, stretching as he breathes in and out. His right eye is covered by a white cloth patch.

"That's another thing I have to fix, then..." He grumbles, looking past me as he fingers through his messy, long silver hair. It's done up in an exceedingly sloppy pony tail, to the point where I'd argue that he'd been lazy with it on purpose.

"Who the hell are you?" I growl, finally remembering to be mean and snarly.

"I'm... Well, the closest analogy is Janitor." He says, straightening his tie. He nudges me to the side, looking closely at the door.

"You're lost, right?" He asks.

I hesitate, face heating up in embarrassment.

"Ok. I'll lead you out." He doesn't even look at me, simply turning and walking slowly down the hall.

"Now. C'mon. I've got people's mistakes to correct, messes to clean up, and shit to fix." He says, pulling his sleeve down and straightening his collar.

"You're dressed really formally for being a janitor..." I mention, catching up to him as quickly as I can.

"I said I'm _like _a janitor..." He says, sounding tired with... Well, it wouldn't surprise me if this guy has a lot to get tired of.

"It's my job to take care of things that wouldn't be salvageable otherwise."

"Sounds boring..." I say, yawning.

"It can be." He says, opening a seemingly unimportant door to the outside courtyard.

"Have a nice day." He says forcefully. I glare, walking out.

"No need to get snappy, Mr...?"

"Wandergaze." My eyes widen as he turns away, the door closing behind him.

I can't even speak, my breath not coming. He's the guy mentioned in the email. He's right there. He... He helped those terrorists burn hundreds alive. Burn innocents who'd done nothing to deserve death.

Electricity sparks over my arms, and the back of my neck. The air cracks as a bolt discharges from my hand to the ground.

I take several deep breaths, slowing my heart rate. Trying my best to calm down. I HAVE to get to the others. Turning, I make my way towards our dorm building. I hope. Running. Panting.

There's no time!

I slam the door to our dorm open to the three of them, eating pizza, and playing Super Smash Bros Wii U. Sweat pouring off me, they freeze, not even hitting the pause button. And then Rosa literally tackles me into one of the tightest hugs I've ever been in. Jay is shirtless, grinning like the madman he is.

"Amber...!" Rosa says, burying his face in my shoulder.

"Let...! Me...! Go!" I kick him off, slowly rising to my feet.

"You okay?!" Rosa shouts, grabbing my shoulders,

"Yeah, finefinefinefinefine!" I shake loose of his grip, starting to laugh quietly. Jay stands, walking over nearly buck ass nude, setting his hands on his hips, and closing his eyes.

His smile is gone.

"What... The fuck... Were you thinking?" He asks, and then, in a move so fast I can barely see it, he pushes Rosa into me, toppling us both over.

"You worried your boyfriend!" He roars. "He was moping around the whole time you were gone, until Eren finished putting this together!" He gestures at the game system.

"Boyfriend...?!" I protest, growling. Rosa laughs, taking my hand, and helping me up as he stands.

"Oh, for Christ's sake!" He groans. "You both like eachother, just fucking admit it!" I tense, freezing. Rosa reacts in an extremely similar manner.

"I-I...!" Stammering, my words don't come. I can't think of a good comeback... And then, to make it worse, Rosa just sighs, shrugs, and says,

"Yeah? So?"

I have no idea what to do... What... How do I respond...?

Eyes wide, I still can't bring myself to move. Rosa tenses, furrowing his brow and looking at me.

"It's ok..." He says, "I get it."

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GODDAMMIT! Jay grins at me, and then chuckles. And. Winks. Oh fuck him.

I grab Rosa by the collar, dragging him up and trying to go in for a kiss. What actually ended up happening is that I head butted him. He falls limp in my arms. I look between Eren and Jay hopelessly, trying to stop the shorter boy from toppling over.

They're cracking up.

"What-?! What do I do?!" I cry, trying not to freak out. Yet, they offer no help. Though I doubt they can. They're too busy laughing their fucking asses off.

**((Major plot points next chapter. I figured I'd leave off on a good note, before crushing all your optimism for the future. As I've been forced to slow down dramatically to compensate for trying to not fail Semester 2, I'll still post at least weekly, but there will be greater distance between posts than in the past. Sorry, folks, but getting my diploma takes precedence. **

**Sincerely,**

**Aegis, your not-so-friendly writer who is a student on the side.))**


	24. Chapter 24

R Chapter Twenty Four

**(('Sup, bitches? And non-bitches too. I don't judge. **

**Anyways, seeing as Valentine's Day is close, figured I'd make this a bit of a light chapter. Ish. You know me. I'll probably have someone's heart get torn out of his/her chest.**

**On that lovely note, let's get started.))**

"I didn't mean to!" I cry defensively to Rosa. A steak is held against his forehead.

"Then what were you trying to do?!" He yells back.

"I was just going to k-" I stop short, choking on my words before they screw things up even more. Jay's still laughing his ass off, holding onto Eren's shoulder. The archer shakes his head, sighing.

I tense, a strand of my hair lifting up off my face and pointing straight up.

"FUCKING HELL!" I grab Rosa by the shirt, launching him at Jay.

"Amber, why?!" He cries, hurtling through the air. With a meaty thud, the three collapse in a heap. STILL LAUGHING.

I close my eyes, taking deep breaths through my clenched teeth. I sit down against the wall, crossing my arms. Jay, refraining himself from continuing laughing, sits up,

"So... You're ok." He states, nodding. "I'm glad."

Rosa nods, still holding the steak against his eye.

"So... Where've you been?" He asks. I jolt upright, eyes widening as I remember why I'd rushed to get back in the first place.

"I found him..."

"Found who?" Jay asks, narrowing his eyes.

"Wandergaze."

Silence lays unbroken, their eyes deepening at the meaning of my words.

"Where?" Jay asks, breaking the silence. Eren's hood lights with dozens of programs, flashing chaotically.

"Near Dr Carter's room." He closes his eyes, cracking his knuckles.

"Email Pantheon. Let her know and ask how we should proceed."

I nod, standing and moving towards my bed, where's Scroll lies on top of the sheets. I pick it up, pulling it open as usual.

Only for the whole thing to explode in a burst of light blue electricity and static.

Standing as a statue, I hold the charred husk of a mobile device that had been my Scroll.

Well, "Fuck."

"Does that... Happen a lot?" Eren asks, poking his head out from besides Jay.

"No." Rosa answers quickly, sensing the growl slowly building deep in my throat.

"No it doesn't." He quickly dashes into cover, reaching into his bag, and drawing out a red box, about the same size as my hand. He tosses it to me.

"Happy birthday, Amber." He says, nodding at the box. I open it up, eyes widening at it's contents.

Pocky.

That short, egocentric, narcissistic, selfish bastard bought me pocky.

"Th-thanks..." I say, my heated mood cooling off with an audible, sizzling crackle.

"But we still need to think of what to do." Jay states, taking out his own scroll.

"Do any of you remember Pantheon's address?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

We all three stare at him in silence.

"Perfect... Well. On to the next topic." His countenance darkens.

"About Night..." I tense, a shock running across my back.

"He was put into solitary confinement, and his weapon confiscated, but..."

I sit down on the bed, breath coming faster and heart racing. My hands shake. Why? Why is the mere mention of his name enough to send me sinking down?

"They let him out after he and his team claimed it to be an accident, and several character witnesses outside the team testified his 'good nature' and 'harmless mindset'. The witnesses were Team CRDL."

The sheets beneath me catch fire, but lose their flame almost immediately.

"I'll..." The words come out as a guttural snarl. The hairs on my tail stand on end, ears flattening themselves against my skull.

"Kill them..!" Jay sighs,

"Which brings me to the next point. They brought you on as the aggressor, but besides that, Night's final blow destroyed your shield. At the moment, you're weaponless."

I sigh, scratching my head and squeezing my eyes tight.

"We don't have much going for us, do we?"

"Never." Rosa answers, "But... I might have a solution for your last problem. The no-weapon bit." He ventures into the closet, bringing out a crate filled with scraps of silvery metal.

"This was all tarnished metal that could no longer be of use in Shrine Petal, but I kept them just in case I needed raw materials. I have an idea."

I look up at him, squinting through my glasses.

"What is it?"

"I call it Ironwing. A gauntlet, designed to channel your semblance into your favorite form of fighting: Punching shit."

"I'm listening."

"Good. Let's get started. Grab some paper, folks, pens too. Time to get cracking."

**((Been a while. Valentine's Day was last Saturday, hope ya'll had a good one. I sure did. Family's over, so it's hard to update and all that. But I'm glad I got another one out. I'll keep them coming.**

**Sincerely- Aegis**

**Your friendly neighborhood slacker))**


	25. Chapter 25

R Chapter Twenty Five

"You're certain it'll work?"

"Yeah. It should hold."

"'Should hold'?! I need more than 'should hold', Rosa!"

"Calm down. I need to take measurements. The best way to do that is to see it in action. I've got sensors all over it. Should work well."

"Rosa..."

"Hey, don't growl like that! H- OW! What was that for?!"

"If I die, it's your fault."

"I know."

"... A-all right. I should get started."

"You guys set?"

"Set!"

I step out into the unused arena, the dirt floor crunching beneath my feet. A sound like hundreds of swords sliding against each other whispering in my ear, I suppress the chills I feel.

"There is no rest in this field, for this is no peace of calm and respite..." I recite beneath my breath, nerves on edge,

"But the tension of the eye." Lightning sparks across the sharp-edged, plated gauntlet. It's bright silver edges weave in and out of each other, forming to my arm.

I rest my gaze on the lock of a cage, red eyes meeting my gaze.

"Ready." I say. A bolt of steel slaps the lock, snapping it clean in two. The door swings open.

One dark, matted paw ventures out, testing the ground before it. Leaning out, it scents the air with it's masked snout. The Beowulf emerges, saliva dripping down from it's maw to the bloodied dirt beneath it. Moving slowly, it takes precautious steps, circling around me. I remain completely still, taking deep, even breaths.

'Move!'

It pads around, now at my back, slowly drawing nearer.

'MOVE NOW!'

It's cold breath tingles my neck.

'SEND IT TO HELL!'

The Beowulf makes a lunge, moving for my neck. I spin, bringing my armored fist around, two knife like knuckles baring their way towards it's arm. It rolls, dodging nimbly out of the way. Thunder cracks, bolts of blue light snapping at the ground at my feet.

"BITCH...!" I dash forward, electricity following in my path with vehement arcs.

"DIE!" I bring my fist downward, missing by quite a long distance. My fist meets dirt, and for a split second, everything stops. Snapping back into movement with bolt after bolt of blue death, every inch of dirt within ten feet of me is scorched by the killing arc. Of the Beowulf sparring partner?

Nothing remains.

I slowly jerk the armor off, throwing it down at my feet. I collapse against the wall, soaked in sweat. Rosa drops down from the side of the arena, not even bothering to ask anything verbally, simply touching his forefinger against my neck, palm to my cheek.

"It wore you out?" He asks, quietly looking over the arm that had born the gauntlet we had named IronWing. I nod, breath coming in ragged gasps.

"No scars. I'll make it less conductive. As it was, it was taking about 10% of your available aura and applying it to your offense." He mumbles, speaking mostly to himself. Eren drops in from the rafters,

"Good test... But, what the duck was that?"

"Duck...?" I gasp, giving him a cockeyed glance.

Rosa begins speaking quietly and quickly.

"Jay and I made IronWing to supplement Amber's semblance and aura, turn what's been her defense till now into a viable offense. We're limiting just how conductive of Amber's electric semblance the IronWing is, to make sure she doesn't kill herself with one massive attack."

"Seems like... You almost... Failed..." I chuckle, still having trouble catching your breath.

"Nah," he pats my cheek, "You check out. I'll lessen IronWing's conductivity and make a few adjustments to it's blade plates." Eren stiffens,

"Blade plates...?"

"Yep, each plate in that gauntlet is as sharp as a sword. A glancing blow with cut any enemy wide open."

I glance at the sparking gauntlet, it's dozens of overlapping, scale-like plates shifting still, accommodating to my arm even while it's empty.

"I have to say, Rosa..." I start, "I'm actually impressed."

"Amber..." He says, face lighting up,

"You managed to make it in a color other than pink." A dumb expression rests on his face for several moments, slowly settling into a blank stare.

"It's... Lightish red...?"

"Bullshit. Everything you wear and own is pink. Even your underwear!"

"You've seen my underwear?!"

"You've seen her naked." Eren points out, sitting down in the bleachers and crossing his legs.

He stops, and tries to start before choking on his own words again.

"Haha! I win, pink bastard!"

"Oh yeah, bitch?!" He grabs the tip of my ear, my face becomes red hot.

"H-hey! St- No!" I shake helplessly as he tugs my ear gently. A short, high pitched moan escapes my closed lips. Everything goes silent. He tensely releases his grip on my ear...

"So uh... Lovely weather toda-" I plant my foot directly in his face, sending his back to the floor,

"BASTARD! I'll kill you!"

Oddly, Jay has no comment, but instead sits far in the back of the empty classroom/arena, reading his scroll.

Eren, on the other hand, is too busy laughing his ass off to comment.


	26. Chapter 26

R Chapter Twenty Six

**((It's been quite a long ride to this point... I never imagined that I'd actually follow through and still be writing by this point, but at the moment, I have no desire to stop. For those of you who've been with me since the start, and those who've joined recently, know that I am glad I've got devoted readers like ya'll. Well. I should get moving.))**

"Amber Spring..." The massive, mustached man enunciates, making my name sound like some kind of fancy food. "Is Miss Spring still recovering...?" Port asks, raising his voice.

I roll my eyes.

"Port... I'm sitting right in front of you." Adjusting the collar of my suit, I lean forward, ears twitching in frustration. IronWing hisses as it's plates scrape across one another, adjusting and constantly moving.

"Oh... Quite right." He chuckles, a light red hue touching his cheeks.

"Now, uh... Rosa Howl" I bump his arm, jerking him awake.

"Present..." He mumbles. Port stands quite still, staring back and forth between Rosa and I, brow furrowed.

"Aha... Right. Ahem..." He adjusts his tie, "Dean Burns..." Jay leans back in his chair, raising his hand just above his head.

"I'm here." He says quietly.

"And Mr Eren Verdance...?" Eren sighs, standing up right in front of him, waving his arms and making a frustrated expression.

"Not here...?" Eren sighs, muttering, "Jay... Help..."

"Mr Port." Jaybird begins, "We go through this every day since you brought us up front. Eren's semblance is passive, and alters other's perception. He's standing in front of you, but since he can't deactivate his semblance, you aren't noticing him."

Port, as always, raises his bushy eyebrows in surprise, muttering,

"Right...right...!" And then calmly proceeds to mark Eren as absent. I bury my face in the palm of my hand, not the armored, left, one, and groan.

Eren calmly steps up, walking to Port's side, taking the clipboard out of his hands, just as Port is beginning his story, marking himself as present, and placing it back in his hands. He returns to his seat.

"Why IS it that we can see him?" I lean over to Jay, whispering beneath Port's audacious 'lecture'.

"Cause we spend so much time with him. We adjusted to his semblance, but haven't you noticed?"

I furrow my brow, shaking my head.

"He's always in the background." He says. "And I think that's as close to the limelight he gets..." His gaze drifts to Rosa, "What's up with pinky...?"

"He stayed up all night making more adjustments to IronWing. Wiped him out..."

" For the billionth time? The guy's a workaholic..."

"No." I shake my head, "We're all just really lazy."

Jay leans back shrugging,

"Night and Locke have been absent what... Three days now, in a row?"

I nod.

"And we haven't gotten any further on Wandergaze?"

I sigh, shrugging,

"I tried to find my way back but..."

"But what? The campus is literally a giant clock shape...!"

"I got lost..." I cringe, waiting for the laughter. Instead, Inget a pained stare.

"You have no sense of direction..." He says quietly, "It's pitiful, actually. You always get lost. You hate academics You get motion sick really easily. You're constantly grumpy, an the worst part is, you're not even terribly attracti-" I tap his leg with IronWing's index finger. He jerks for a second, his pen sizzling in hand.

"You wanna keep talking?" I ask with a fake smile.

"No... Ma'am..."

"Good."

The bell rings, and in an instant, I've got Rosa over one shoulder, backpack over the other. Making certain to not shake him too much, I head off down the hall, staying besides Jay and Eren as they discuss something math related.

So... Nothing I can comprehend.

Halfway between Port and Ooblek, something stops me in my steps

I catch the gaze of Locke, his eyes glinting dully. He smiles, baring his teeth. Besides him, a girl with messy blonde hair, headphones covering her ears, sways gently. She looks between Locke and I, a sharp brightness in her half-lidded eyes. Hands in the pockets of her hoodie, she looks around lazily. Locke slowly approaches, taking his time.

The girl follows effortlessly in his wake, seeming almost half-asleep.

"Amber..." He sings, crossing his arms, "I didn't expect you back in class so soon."

"And I didn't expect you would attempt to mess with any of us..." Jay says, his dagger slipping into his hand.

"Night may be exceptionally strong, but you... You're not him."

"No." He says, face growing grim. "I'm not. Erie, dear." He taps the girl beside him on the shoulder.

"Locke?" She asks, taking off one of the headphones, looking up at him.

"I need an example." She sets her headphones back on, sighing,

"What a pain..." She groans. Her eyes slowly shut, her foot tapping. The noise from around me, everything but that tapping, drains away. Realization strikes Jay's face. His eyes narrow, concentration unyielding as the world slowly drains away, the tapping turning into a more and more powerful pulse. A physical force. Locke taps her on the shoulder again.

"Enough." He whispers, voice inaudible. Erie opens her eyes, the world around us snapping back into focus, only seconds having passed.

"I may not be strong, but my team is, and I know how to play my cards." He turns walking away.

Erie, however, walks up to me,

"I like you." She says.

"Erie, Night's waiting." Locke calls,

"Oh!" She turns with an odd animation, "Brother's in class today?!" She asks as she chases after Locke.

We just kinda stand there, stunned.

"So this is what we're up against." Jay mutters.

"We've got a lot of work to do..." Eren walks ahead, towards Ooblek.

"We shouldn't be late again. Ooblek'd kill us."

**((ALLRIGHTY THEN. As I've stated before, please review. It gives me warm bubbly feelings of grossly-sweetness. Plus, I wanna know if you're enjoying it or not.))**


	27. Chapter 27

R Chapter Twenty Seven

**((Trying to get a faster pace back up. So I'm gonna start writing now, hopefully get another chapter out quick. Onwards...))**

We sit down front and center of Ooblek's class just as the bell tolls. The professor immediately starts, rambling at his typical mile-a-minute pace. I give the lecture about five minutes of my attention before I realize that I can't understand any word he's saying. Rosa, who I'd sat down in the seat besides me, raises his head, eyes dreary. I scratch the back of his head,

"Wake up," I growl beneath my breath, "Before we all get in trouble." He nods, leaning back in his chair, fighting to keep his eyes wide.

"Jay'll fill you in, but we need to get back to training ASAP." A bulky finger taps my shoulder. I turn my head, looking up at the looking mountain behind me,

"Perhaps I can help..." Dr Carter whispers,

"Eh...?! D-Dr Car-" he thumps my forehead, growling,

"Now now, just meet at my classroom instead of heading to lunch. I'll feed you there, and you can practice in peace."

"Thanks..." Jay says, leaning over. Carter nods, walking off silently. He pats Ooblek on the shoulder, drawing him away for a short conversation. After a brief moment, Carter leaves, tattered coat flowing behind him. Ooblek continues his lecture, as though nothing had happened.

"What do you think they were talking about?" Rosa asks quietly,

"Sorry. Couldn't hear them..." I mutter, "question is... How did he get behind us...?"

I knock on the old, battered door guarding Carter's room. It swings open, creaking loudly. Dr Carter is lying in his sofa, an old, tattered red abomination, ham sandwich on his chest. Snores escape his gaping maw.

"Uhhh..." Jay looks between the dusty shelves, scattered, torn papers, and generally messy, cluttered room.

"Where are we gonna practice...?" He asks. I walk up to Dr Carter, sighing. Clenching my non-armored fist, I punch him in the gut, putting all my force into it. My fingers crack.

Pain shoots up my forearm, and I suppress a scream of pain. It escapes as a weak whimper. Carter opens one eye, looking out at me with a bemused expression.

"Your arm didn't break? Interesting. Move my things if you need, stay as long as you like to train." I only nod, afraid that if I open my mouth I'll sound even weaker.

Rosa gets to work shoving the furniture to the side of the expansive, but cluttered, room.

Within five minutes, we'd cleared all the furniture from the center of the room. Carter stands, rising to his full height.

"First, I'd like to see where you all stand individually. Rosa?" We step out, letting them have the circle to themselves.

Rosa extends his staff to it's full length, keeping it's end closed. Carter, however, stands still, crossing his arms and looking down at the boy. He stands almost two and a half feet over him.

"Well...?" He grunts. Rosa doesn't answer.

Carter sighs, taking a bounding step forward, his arm flies outwards, palm flying at Rosa's face. He floats out of harm's way, barely evading in time. The larger man stands straight once more, then, with the same motion, lunges again. Rosa responds the same way as before, waiting till the last moment to activate his semblance, and gliding out of the way of Carter's extended arm. Gliding right into Carter's OTHER arm. He gets clotheslined. Back on the ground, Carter rests his boot on his chest.

"Never expect the enemy to make the same mistake twice. Always change your strategy, and never repeat moves on the same opponent. Even the Creatures of Grimm can learn."

Removing his foot, he takes Rosa's shoulder in one hand, hoisting him up. Gently lifting him off his feet, he hands him directly to me.

"Eren." He says without looking. "You're next. Hurry u-" he tilts his head, an arrow flying just past it, burying itself in the wall.

"You may be hard to perceive, but it's pretty easy to see your arrows." He says. Carter turns, swatting another arrow out of the air.

"Pathetic..." He takes slow steps in the direction of the arrows' origin. I look throughout the room, searching for the archer.

Nothing.

A flash in the corner of my eye launches past my head, buffeting my dad with air. Carter lazily reached up, catching the arrow.

"C'mon... Same thing won't work..." The arrow beeps.

Hot air, dust, and smoke explodes outwards. As the cloud clears, Carter stands in the same spot as before, hand coated in a blue, sharp crystal. The bright crystal sinks into his skin.

"Daaamn..." He groans, popping his neck.

"That was pretty fucking clever, kiddo..." He looks around, sighing, "But it doesn't look like you really capitalized on it..." He takes a single step forward.

Beep.

The floor crumbles, sinking his foot, and causing him to lose his balance. Carter cries out in surprise, batting another arrow out of the air before getting his foot out. The arrow beeps twice. It smacks into the ground, the shaft splitting open, revealing several small tubes. Fire engulfs Carter, blooming out from the arrow.

"Well, you ARE clever!" The blast of heat and flame ceases, leaving a smoking giant, surrounded by ash. He picks up a chunk of debris, tossing it over to his left. It hits with a soft thud, and a light gasp.

"But I've found you... And in your case, that means you've lost."

Eren steps out from behind a bookshelf, shrugging.

"I suppose I yield."

Carter smiles,

"Wise, but." He bounds forward, bringing his knee into Eren's gut.

"Your enemies will not accept surrender." As Eren crumples in a coughing heap, he says,

"You will either win against them, or become a statistic."

His head turns, dark eyes meeting mine.

"Your turn."

**((Gonna end it there. Thanks for the feedback last chapter, I'mma try and post again soon. See ya'll round.))**


	28. Chapter 28

R Chapter Twenty Eight

**((Sooooo booooooored. Hopefully I can fill this boredom gap with writing... Anyway. Let's get going.))**

I stare up at the ceiling, back flat against the ground.

"... What...?" I groan, shoulder aching. Clambering up to my feet, I look at Carter, towering over me.

"React faster." He demands. Faster than I can see, his hand bats me away, sending me into the air, flying a good few feet. A bookshelf breaks my flight.

"Bastard..." I growl, "I wasn't ready..."

"You think any enemy will care if you're ready? That they'll be polite and kind?" He walks towards me, noiselessly closing in.

"That's not..." I shut my mouth. His arm flies forward, trails of crystal, blue dust streaking off him as he moves. I meet his fist with IronWing's open palm.

Our eyes meet.

I break off, raising my armored forearm in time to block another blow. I take a step back, trying to get into a better stance. Another close blow blocked, another step back. We keep going, him throwing punch after punch, me barely moving fast enough to block each one, and having to step back. Each time.

This isn't good.

A cross from his left grazes my cheek, as I grab his follow-up jab, stopping it short. I toss his arm to the side, sending him slightly off balance. I throw a punch, electricity sparking at my fist. But he keeps rolling, using his momentum, and before I can pull out, his left foot is in my face. I fall backwards, back hitting the dirt.

I gasp noiselessly, fighting to recapture my air,

"Never make a move to attack if it opens you to a powerful counter. You overestimated your strength. And had this been real, you'd be dead right now."

"Shut up..." I growl, still gasping for air.

"Make me."

I push my arm under me, pushing up slowly. I lethargically raise up to my feet, standing straight. I raise Ironwing, it's talon-like fingers spread. Lightning cracks between them, arcing in a circuit. The bladed scales hiss, my muscles tensing beneath it.

"Go to hell..." My vision blurs, focusing on him, "Bastard..." Streams of electricity stream from the cracks between the bladed scales of Ironwing.

Carter crosses his arms, staring down the bridge of his nose at me.

"Deliver me there." He grunts,

I roar, leaping forward, clenching my fist and bringing it towards the man's face. Time slows as Carter raises his arm, light, greenish-blue crystals covering his hand and forearm. My fist meets his arm, cracks spreading across the glossy crystal surface.

A blast of heat and air hits me, sending me backwards, flying directly onto my ass. The stream of electricity surrounding Ironwing dies out.

"Your fighting style..." Carter rumbles from where he stands, "Is crude. But. You have vast power in your attacks. Learn to control that power, and nothing will stop your strikes." The smoke clears. His coat and shirt are torn to shreds, burning slowly. His arm still hangs in it's defensive position, completely bare, except for a few shards of crystal, clinging to his skin. Scarred and pocked by old wounds, it looks more like weathered stone than flesh and blood.

Someone knocks at the door.

"Come in." Dr Carter booms.

Erie pokes her head in, eyes somewhat glazed in appearance.

"I thought I heard you..." She says, voice almost a whisper. She clambers over the various obstacles in her path, plopping down besides me. She pokes my nose,

"Why are you sitting down?" She asks, voice still just above a whisper.

I open my mouth, an acidic comment sure to come. Rosa interrupts me.

"Erie, right?" She nods, turning her head to him. "Right well, how do I put this...?" He scratches the back of his head, "But why are you here?"

She puts her pointer finger on her chin, eyes wandering up to the ceiling, her voice comes out very slowly, and monotonously,

"I heard Amber, and was bored. So I followed her noises. Here I am." She gestures widely at the room.

"I- um... Okay...?" He looks hopelessly to Jay. He shrugs, watching us with interest.

"I see no problem with her being here. Just cause she's Night's sister doesn't mean we can't hang around her."

**((I'll stop there for tonight. Thanks for all your encouragement and support. See ya'll... Eventually.))**


	29. Chapter 29

R Chapter Twenty Nine

**((Since the end of last year... That's how long it's been. I've enjoyed every moment of these last four or five months. Well. Time to keep going, I guess.))**

I groan, stretching my sore muscles as we all walk back to our dorm. Erie, completely silent, pads along next to me, eyes trained on mine. Rosa leans over,

"That's kinda creepy..."

"And you're kinda bitchy." I growl back.

"Your comebacks are getting old." He sighs, "Running out of material?" He leans in, raising an eyebrow. I bring my forearm up, crashing my loosely curled fist into his nose.

"No," I say as blood spurts from his nostrils, "I've still got plenty of places I can hit you in." Glaring, he licks his bloodied lips, remaining silent.

"Are you two SURE you're not a couple?" Jay sings, grinning from ear to ear,

"YES." We say at once.

"Really? I mean, Amber you tried to ki-" I grab Rosa by the collar, hefting him up and throwing him straight at Jay.

"Amber, why?!" He cries. Jay steps backwards, vanishing from sight. He reappears, shattering the light around him, just ahead of me.

"That wasn't very smart..." He comments as Rosa's face meet's Eren's.

Particularly one part of each, before they're thrown to the ground.

Of course, it has to be their lips.

Jay and I stop, suppressing laughter. Rosa raises himself up, wiping the blood from his face.

"Shut up..." He wheezes. Eren gets to his feet, wiping his face with a sanitary wipe.

"Damn, Eren, you're just a guy magnet. Sure you're not a chick?" His face reddens slightly.

"Yeah. Fairly certain." He says quietly.

"It was fun. I may be back." Comes a little voice. Erie walks away, humming a soft tune.

"Um... O-ok...?" I say, furrowing my brow. Fuck, she's weird.

"Amber. Wakey-Wakey...!" A hand scratches behind my ears, urging me out from my sleep. I open one eye, glaring at Rosa.

"What, do you not like being pet?" A growl rumbles deep in my throat.

"I'll, uh, take that as a no." He stammers.

"What time is it, Rosa?"

"About seven in the morning."

"..." I _should _get up, seeing as I need to shave...

"Y'know, if you want, we could skip Port, and you could sleep another hour or two before you have to get up."

"...Nyaah. Too much work. I'll just get up now..." I sit up, stretching on the bed. Swinging my legs off the small bed, my feet touch the floor. And immediately jolt back up. I hug my knees, staring at the ground.

"Amber... Something wrong?" Rosa asks, setting aside his textbook.

"The floor... It's really fucking cold..." I mutter, still glaring at the tile floor.

"Uh... It is?" He asks, holding in laughter.

"You makin' fun of me...?" I move my gaze to meet his.

"Wha-? Me- Pffft! Nah! N-no way!" His eyes widen incrementally. Heat rushes to my face.

"B-BASTARD!" I swing one leg up, connecting it with his shoulder. The blow lacked fundamental power, but both of us freeze for a different reason. A slow, persistent ripping sound emanates from the seam of my PJ pants.

His eyes slowly make their way down towards my crotch.

"DON'T LOOK!" I lungs forward, bringing my fist into his face.

"Gchk! OW!"

"Stop whining!"

Jay walks out from the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his head.

"Why are you straddling Rosa? Are you two finally actually getting together?"

My blood rushes to my face.

"SH-Shut up!"

**(Met with a friend yesterday, and he offered some good suggestions and input on Nightfall, so I may just make some course adjustments. Well. Hoped you enjoyed. Figured I had to release a chapter one way or the other, so I'm hoping this is satisfying enough.)**


	30. Chapter 30

R Chapter Thirty

**((Aight, guys, a good friend of mine is starting up his own RWBY fanfic, so if you're getting bored with me, look him up. The author is 'Svaalin'. If you're getting tired of me, feel free to jump over and check him out. Coming from someone who's read his shit before, it's not bad. Similar in quality to mine, I think. Well, anyways, **

**Going up!))**

I step out from the bathroom, adjusting my jacket. I slowly approach Rosa, who's nursing a black eye.

"Shouldn't have looked..." Eren mutters in the corner. I shoot him a glare, narrowing my eyes before sitting next to Rosa. I rest a hand on his shoulder,

"Sorry I had to hit you so hard..." I mutter.

"Eh, it's nothing. Just a bruise. On my eye." He smiles, a cockeyed grin.

"You shouldn't have looked." I say quietly.

"Yeah... My bad." He pats me on the back, chuckling, "I won't make you uncomfortable like that again."

Rosa straightens, standing up.

"We need to hurry up," he says clearly, "Else we'll be late for class."

**{BREAK IN TEXT}***

"Ms Spring," Dr Ooblek calls, "Would you care to explain the driving force behind the Great War?"

"No." I say, crossing my arms and leaning back in my desk. He pauses in his constant rush, staring through his opaque glasses for a moment.

"Well... Ahem, as I was going to say, the Great War was ignited by the conflict over self expression and individuality, but can anyone tell me where this ideal came from? This hatred of individuality?"

Night raises his hand.

"Ah, Mr Kronos. How rare of you to contribute."

"Weakness. It came from a distaste for weakness." He says, crossing his arms and closing his eyes.

"Eh..." Ooblek stutters, "Would you care to elaborate...?"

"People came into the terrible realization: the Grimm are too strong. As a species, they are more powerful than us." He opens his eyes, "But not for some fundamental flaw in our beings, but our society. If we do not act as one, cohesive unit, free of individual flaw, than we cannot defeat our greatest threat. However, when this was shattered by the over-performance made by individuals, those who subscribed to this ideal became lost. But still that belief hung, and continues to hang before our noses. We are too weak." His eyes spark, a dark determination deep in those blue-gray pools.

Dr Ooblek pauses, seemingly stuck without an answer.

"Ah. Yes. Anyhow..."

**{BREAK IN TEXT}**

"Man... That was creepy as fuck..." Rosa groans as we walk out of class.

"Just a bit..." Jay huffs, stretching.

"He kinda had a point..." I mutter, looking at my feet.

"Eh...? EH?!" Rosa grabs me by the arm, "Amber! Please, come back to us, AMBERRRRR!" Heat hits my face,

"Y'bastard...!" I headbutt him, sending him down to the floor. "Don't touch me!"

He grins, "Good. You're still you. You were acting kinda girly for a second." I stomp on his shoulder,

"Yeah...? And what's that supposed to mean...?" I glare down at him.

Eren chuckles, "Careful, Rosa, you should be wise in answering..."

"I just- " Rosa's eyes widen as I clench my fist. "I didn't mean it like that..."

"Like what...?!" I bare my teeth, a single spark of electricity running down to his chest. He yelps, jumping.

"H-hey, A-Amber...?" He pleads. Something strokes my tail gently, my body heating up at the touch.

"Wha?!" I spin around, kicking Rosa back so he slides over to Jay.

Erie stands with my tail in hand, stroking my white fur gently.

"...what... Are you doing...?" I ask, force lost at seeing her tired, detached expression.

"It looked soft..." She purrs gently, still stroking it.

"Uhmm..." I look over to Jay, pointing at her helplessly,

"What do I do...?" He shrugs, laughing. Eren's face is obscured by his hood, but I can clearly hear him laughing.

"Th-that's not fair...!" Rosa whines quietly, seeming slightly dejected.

Erie lets go of my tail, patting my head and scratching my ears.

"H-hey...!" She removes her hand, turning,

"Bye." She says, walking over to a perplexed looking Night.

"C'mon... We gotta get to Goodwitch, else she'll be pissed at our tardy record." Rosa says, standing up slowly. I nod, sighing loudly and shaking my head.

**((After multiple reports from friends of mine, I decided to try a new system for indicating breaks in the text. The dashes I had been placing between different sections of each chapter had not been functioning, and wouldn't show up on , so I'm trying this now. Sorry for any inconvenience up to this point. Thanks for bearing with me. Till next time.))**


	31. Chapter 31

_R Chapter Thirty One_

"Night."

"Hm... What is it?"

"It's almost time. Are you ready?"

"Not quite. There's someone who I'm invested in."

"You know tha-"

"I know the laws. Fuck them. I'm following MY laws. And I am saying we wait, Muse."

"..."

"Just give me a week. Just a week."

"Fine. Stay safe. We've gotten a report from Wandergaze that Crimson's in the area."

"Isn't she on our side...?"

"I hope to god she is."

**{Break in text.}**

"-and that concludes today's lesson." Goodwitch proclaims, sitting down at her desk with an exasperated sigh. Chatter erupts around us, every mouth opening in unison.

"Amber~" Rosa says, bumping my shoulder. I lift my energy drink(Read: Thermos filed with coffee.) to my lips, drinking slowly.

"Rosa. I'll fucking cut you." He pauses, turning and furrowing his brow.

"What'd I do?"

Eren walks past, hitting Rosa on the head with a notebook as he passes,

"You tried talking. You of all people should know. Amber's not a morning person." He shrugs, vanishing into the shuffling crowd. Jay saunters up to us, grinning maniacally.

"Hey, love doves...!" I growl, clamping the lid of my coffee down. I throw the cup as hard as I can. Right at his face. Sidestepping, he doesn't miss a beat.

"Guess what I've got...?" He draws out two slips of glossy paper from his pocket. Rosa jumps up, eyes going wide.

"Lindsey Sterling...?! You got tickets to Lindsey Sterling's concert...?!"

"Front row. For all four of us!" He replaces them into his pocket, walking over to my coffee thermos, where it's embedded in the wall, pulling it out, and handing it back.

I groan, eyes drooping as I try hard to keep up with what they're saying. My tail droops, falling across the floor.

Pain suddenly shoot up from my tail to my head, spiking me awake. I yelp wordlessly, tears building up in my eye. Whatever's on my tail grinds it against the floor...

A boot...?

Who...?

Pain. Pain blocking thoughts.

The world snaps back into clarity, tears falling from my eyes as I regain some semblance of consciousness. I find myself sobbing. Body shaking in fear and pain.

"Why...!" I try standing, knees quaking. Rosa and Jay both stand, murder in the air. As I look up, my eyes find not Cardin or Night, but some tall, burly kid in a second-year uniform. A stupid grin lies on his face. I push my chair out of the way, letting it hit the ground. Standing tall, I press close to him, staring up with a grimace.

"What sewer did you crawl out of?" My nose wrinkles, tail swishing back behind me and ears twitching.

"Your mom." He sneers. Jay, Rosa and I exchange glances, confusion plain. Rosa squints, shaking his head slowly in confusion.

"I think some of my brain cells just died..." He mutters.

"Are you..." I start, growling deep, "Insulting my mother...?"

"Yeah. What are you gonna do about it, fox-bitch?" He stands tall, puffing out his chest and cracking his neck. A spark runs across my body.

Ooh... Idea.

I close my eyes, slowing my breathing as I repeat what just happened in my head over and over again.

"Well?" I open my eyes, and then gently, slowly, as I meet his eyes, poke him in the stomach. A crack and rumble loud as a gunshot fills the room. He tenses, falling to the floor convulsing.

"Any other douchebags I need to taze?" I call, hoping Goodwitch is out of the class for the moment. As silence spreads through the desks, I nod to myself, kicking the kid at my feet and spreading my arms.

"I'm going to make three things clear, right now!" I hold one hand up, three fingers.

"Number one! No one touches the tail!" It swishes back and forth rhythmically of it's own will. I recall one of my three fingers.

"Two! No one talks bad about my mama!" Only one finger remains up.

"You try anything with my friends or me, I will BREAK YOU." I close my fist, kicking the kid extra hard for emphasis.

"I trust I won't have to repeat that." I say, mostly to myself.

Rosa winces.

"Amber..."

"What?"

"You kicked him in the balls. Twice."

"Oh. Well. I said I'd break him."

"... Not cool, Am."

"Am...? Did you just...?"

"NOPE."

**{Break in the fucking text in which the word fuck is over used way too fucking much. It's fucking ridiculous how often I use fuck. I mean, it's fucking stupid, right? Well, fuck me, I need to keep going.}**

I collapse onto my bed, growling.

"Seriously... Am?" I gesture widely, face down on the mattress. "Of all the nicknames you could decide to go with, you choose the weirdest, corniest one."

He sighs, sitting next to me. The bed creaks, struggling beneath us.

"Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay..." I whine, grabbing the air towards his bed.

"When do we get new beds...?"

"We don't. I thought I told ya'll. Beacon's packed full. This is the best we've got."

"Two twin beds, a hammock, and a tiny bathroom is the best they have?" Eren asks, wandering into the bathroom, and propping the door up behind him.

"Don't forget the closet." Jay yawns, shrugging.

"Oh, yeah." The water starts in the bathroom, "The closet no one but Rosa uses."

The corners of my lips twinge up as I lift my head to look at him. Red faced and stuttering heavily,

"I-That's- Amber stores her uniform in there too!"

"I don't see any girl's uniforms in there." Jay points out.

I grin playfully, scratching his back,

"It wouldn't surprise me if there were girl's uniforms in there though. You'd make a pretty one." He nods,

"Thank you. I am stunning, aren't I?"

"My point was that you seem like a crossdresser." I say dryly. He tenses, groaning. Flopping onto his side, he mumbles,

"Not cool, Am... Not cool..."

"Don't call me that...!" I elbow his gut, pushing the air out of him.

"Oh! I get it!" Jay exclaims, clapping softly, "This is one of those Sadist-Masochist relationships, like in "25 shades of black"!" I tear off Rosa's shoe, throwing it at Jay.

"There's a line." I growl, "Don't cross it." He shrugs, snickering.

Jay opens his mouth, a witty retort about to be birthed into the world.

"HALFLIFE THREE CONFIRMED!" Eren shouts from the corner of the room, shocking Rosa off the bed, and making me throw Rosa's other shoe at him.

**{BREAK IN TEXT}**

I woke, suddenly, noiselessly in the night. Looking around, at Rosa next to me, Jay asleep with tablet in hand, still shining, and Eren, hanging in the corner, my eyes see nothing out of the ordinary.

And yet...

I slowly get up, poking around the room quietly, looking for anything that could've woken me.

Nothing. Something prods at the back of my mind, setting me on edge. Screaming at me to wake the others.

Nah... I'm just going nuts.

Despite logic, I grab IronWing, slipping the bladed, talon-like gauntlet over my arm. I reach for the door knob slowly. Shaking my head at my own idiocy, I open the door, taking tentative steps outside. As soon as I leave the threshold, the world around me shatters, broken by a rhythmic, high pulsation, replaced by a blank white expanse. I turn my head slowly, eyes widening slowly. Erie stands a few dozen feet away, a short spear in hand.

"I'm sorry." She mouths.

Something hits the back of my head, the whiteness darkening as I fade away.


	32. Chapter 32

R Chapter Thirty Two

**((Buckle Up.))**

_"When you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back into you." - Unknown_

**My eyes, crusted shut, slowly break open, dim, grayish lights leaking into them. Head raising up, I take shaky, uneven breaths. Something hot, sticky and wet plasters the left side of my face. My muscles ache and scream, but they refuse to move, fastened tightly against the metal chair I sit atop. My glasses are cracked, splitting he left half of my field of vision in two distinct sections. **

**"Amber Spring." Says a cold voice, distant and far removed. I squint as my eyes adjust to the light. A tall, thin man walks out of the shadows at the edge of my sight, glossy red hair waving in a non-existent wind. A fine, black suit hugs tightly to his body, it's red tie tucked evenly in, a matching handkerchief peeking out from his pocket. He crouches, so I can see his face. **

**Chiseled, muscular but still thin and handsome, he would be extremely beautiful for a man, if not for one thing. His eyes, so much like Night's. Blood red, irises lacking in something fundamental and urgently important. As though something were staring out from within them, but that they did not see themselves.**

**He strokes a hand through my hair.**

**"I am glad to have a shield now." He stands, turning.**

**I open my throat, cracked and dry.**

**"Who are you...?"**

**"Ah, yes." He waves at me dismissively. "Ares Holliday, AKA War, at your service." He walks back into the shadows, vanishing.**

**"Prepare her." Ares' voice booms.**

**Night walks out from the shadows, impaling his sword in the cement at his feet. **

**"I had wished for this to not happen." He says, sighing.**

**"But unfortunately, things have changed."**

**"Night... You bastard..." I growl, sparking, "Let go of me!" He calmly walks towards me, holding one hand out to the side. From the darkness, a red-hot rod flies into his hand. Without a moment of waiting or hesitation, he plunges it through my foot.**

**Screams. Is someone screaming...?**

**{break in text}**

**I take in a long, deep, shaky breath, foot soaked in blood. Night sits, staring into my eyes. **

**"I'm surprised you're conscious." He says aloud, eyes shining. "I wish I could kill you, but then. Then I wouldn't be able to see what you become."**

**"I'm..." I croak, "Going to kill you... As soon... As I'm out of these." I pull on my restraints, tail swishing back and forth slowly. He sighs.**

**"I don't doubt it." Standing, he tears his sword from the ground. He sheaths it, shrugging.**

**"The mercy shift is up. Sorry." He walks out into the shadows, a door opening and closing softly.**

**"Muse! Your shift is up!" Soft footsteps, light and slow, come near. Skipping. **

**"London Bridge is falling down,**

**Falling down..." Comes a singsong voice, delicate and sweet.**

**"London Bridge is falling down,**

**My fair lady..." The footsteps echo all about me, circling. **

**"London Bridge is broken down,**

**Broken down..." A small hand strokes my tail, softly, gently.**

**"H-hey!"**

**"London Bridge..." The hand yanks and tears at my tail, forcing a whimper and scream from my mouth. The hand releases my tail. The skipping stops. A girl, maybe fourteen years old, walks out in front of me, wearing a dark, ember red tank top and skinny jeans. Her light, sky blue hair shines in the shadows. Her eyes are the same shade of blue as her hair. **

**A red heart pin lies in her hair, holding it in a long pony tail.**

**She walks up, poking me on the nose, grinning from ear to ear.**

**"You're so pretty!" She exclaims, hugging her chest. I stop, caught between thoughts.**

**"... Eh...?"**

**"You've got such pretty hair and skinny frame! Ooh it's just..." She sighs, smile fading. Fading to something much darker.**

**"Not fair." Oh fuck life.**

**"So! Let's play and change that!" Oh fuck. Fuck. FUCK.**

**She skips back out into the shadow, promptly returning. With a needle. A smile growing on her face, she squeals with glee. And jams the needle into my shoulder. I roar as a red hot, burning sensation floods out into me. She's talking. Voice grating on my soul. **

**Lightning strikes out, hitting everything around me. Everything, that is, except her. Then she stops laughing and smiling, and darkens again. **

**The burning. Everywhere. Burning.**

**Stop.**

**"Stop...!"**

**"Stop!"**

**"STOP!" Electricity forms a bubble around me, tearing at the ground, destroying the chair, my binds, sending her flying, everything goes. I curl up, trying to block out this burning, these flames inside me. **

**"Cease." With her voice, everything stops. The motion, the electricity, the burning.**

**I open my eyes, looking at her from the chair.**

**Wait... What? **

**I'm sitting. Sitting in the same place I started in. A woman stands in front of me, short, bobbed blue hair done up by a heart pin, faded and rusted. **

**"That..." She says, "Was not how this goes." She grabs my hair, dragging my head back. I spark. Growling, I wince at the pain. She draws a knife from her pocket, unfolding it. Pressing the blade against my shirt, she tears through it, bringing it down through the fabric, leaving my chest bare except for my bra.**

**Jamming the knife into my shoulder, she twists her face into a sneering snarl. I cry out in the pain.**

**"I'll break you. Then Night will rebuild you."**

**"What is your name?" I spit in her face. She grab the hilt of the knife, she twists it, sending pain through my system.**

**"WHAT IS YOUR NAME?"**

**"Fuck... Off..." She tears the knife out of me. Turning to the shadows, she screams, "Get me a bucket of water and a towel!" Her foot slams into my knees, sending the chair to the ground. **

**The woman walks over, bending next to my face.**

**"What is your name?"**

**"You don't listen well, do you...?" Blood swells out of my shoulder. She sighs, stuffing a cotton ball into it. I hiss as I feel alchohol cleaning the wound.**

**"Very well." She places a towel over my face. Then, I can't breathe.**

**{Break in Text}**

_"Pantheon."_

_"I'm here."_

_"You know DARE will go after her. We need to help. They can't hurt anyone there yet."_

_"It's already being handled, Carter. Crimson made the call."_

_"You don't mean she sent Bishop?" _

_"She sent Ellyss Holliday, yeah."_


	33. Chapter 33

R Chapter Thirty Three

**Three hours, she waterboarded me. Three long hours. After short, painful spurts, she'd remove the towel, ask, **

**"What's your name?" And grab my chair. Every time, I responded with some derivative, of "fuck off". I don't know why she keeps asking my name. They already know it. So. She has an alternate purpose. I may not be smart like Jay or Rosa, but I know when to buckle down and tank some hits. She's got a plan.**

**However brave I may have been for those hours, I can't even claim that I didn't consider just giving in and saying my name. It would have been easier. Much easier than loosing consciousness, anyways. But something in me, something screamed at the back of my head to not give a single inch to her. Not the smallest amount of wiggle room.**

**But now I'm awake again. And she's sitting there, above me, staring down. Eyes burning with a cold flame.**

**"I'll admit." She says, reaching down and playing with my hair.**

**"You're one tough bitch. I'm surprised you haven't given in at all." She leans down, whispering in my ear.**

**"I'll make it worse, then." She stands, kicking her own chair over. "Get her up." She throws a gesture into the shadows. Dark figures move over to me, dragging me up.**

**"Untie one of her hands." They rip off the rope from one of my hands, forcing it up straight out in front of me. **

**"Hold her well." She orders the featureless silhouette, as she draws out a pair of long pliers. **

**My fingers. Oh fucking hell. **

**I quickly ball my fist up, grunting with defiance.**

**"Ooh... You don't like the look of this do you...?" She rolls her eyes, reaching into her pocket and taking out a syringe. Gently sliding it into my forearm, she pushes down the pump. Slowly, my hand opens, the muscles relaxing.**

**"It's not a pain killer." She declares. "It's just a drug that makes it impossible for you to contract any of your muscles. Don't ask me how it works; that's not my department."**

**I grit my teeth, growling as I feel the cold steel of the pliers tickle the tip of my index finger, gripping the nail. She grins, ear to ear, arm tensing in excitement.**

**A door opens, and shuts loudly.**

**"Muse. Your time's up. Ares wants to talk to you." Night says as he walks out from the shadow.**

**"Aww... But can't I finish up...?" The rest of my body tenses.**

**"No. Ares saw what happened in your illusion. He wants an explanation of why you couldn't subdue his new shield immediately." **

**Muse, the woman, pales.**

**"Of... Of course." She drops the pliers, walking into the shadow.**

**"Amber." He takes a seat in a folding chair across from me, looking to the dark shadows around me, he speaks into them.**

**"Go. Leave us." His eyes return to me after a moment.**

**"I'm glad you didn't give in." He says. **

**"What... So you can torture me yourself...?" I snarl, lifting my chin at him.**

**"No." His voice is steely, determined and furious. "I don't like this. I had wanted to kill you in a fair fight, not have you imprisoned and tortured into submission."**

**I narrow my eyes.**

**"Sleep." He orders. "I'll wake you when the food I order prepared arrives. You won't get this kind of treatment from Muse."**

**{break in text}**

"I already told you..." He says, practically screaming into his phone. "I'm working on it! You don't just walk into an enemy base! Now let me do my job, Carter...!" He snaps the phone shut, shoving it into his pocket. His face is covered by a scruffy, brown-blonde beard, short blonde hair messily swept over his head. He slips the phone into his white hoodie pocket, sighing as he pulls up his khaki pants.

"What a drag..." He sighs, taking a deep breath. Growling, he starts walking again, footsteps etched in frost. A cigarette slipping into his mouth, he lights it patiently, waiting for the weak flame to start.

Taking a deep drag, the man stops, looking back over his shoulder.

"You guys aren't good at hiding." He says to the three boys and girl behind him. He narrows his eyes at the blonde haired girl.

"Should you be here...?"

"It's ok." Says the pink haired one. "I think she's trustworthy."

"I can't stop ya'll from coming..." He yawns, "But understand. The enemies where we're going will try and kill you."

"They have Amber." Says the hooded one. "In other words. Half of them will be dead before we get there." The man shrugs, turning his head back forward, and walking forward again. Sighing, he rests the pump action shotgun he'd been nursing on his shoulder.

"Okay... Come on, then. Crimson'll be pissed if your friend dies."

**{Break in Text}**

_"Randy..."_

_"Yeah?"_

_"I'm getting tired. I don't like this war anymore."_

_"Did you ever?"_

_"Yeah. Back then, when I was new, it was fun."_

_"That's how this blew up, isn't it? You and me?"_

_"Ha...! Remember when we first went to Beacon?"_

_"Yeah. You, me, Ares and Ellys. Pantheon showing us all the ropes. How did it get this way, Crimson?"_

_"No idea, professor. Feels like a different world now."_

_"I miss the old days."_

_"Don't we all...?"_

_"No. And that's the issue, isn't it?"_


	34. Chapter 34

R Chapter Thirty Four

Frost creeps into the throne room, over the white marble and the shining gold leaves inscribed into the walls. Ares folds his hands into eachother, sighing.

"Welcome home, young brother. Will you leave again...?" He asks the empty hall and the corpse at his feet. His 'hair' sparks and blazes for a moment.

"Or will you die here... To never leave home again?"

**{Break in Text}**

**Night suddenly stands, as I chew idly on the pork loins he'd given me.**

**"Attendant...?" He calls into the dark, turning his head. Heels click sharply from the shadows.**

**"Bring me the gauntlet I've had cleaned. I require it." Footsteps tap away softly, echoing around the room.**

**"Amber." He says, eyes suddenly training on me. I stop chewing, swallowing slowly.**

**"You're not gonna say something weird, are you...?"**

**"I'm glad you maintain your sense of humor." He rolls his eyes, sighing. "No. I have to go handle some intruders. Your friends. I will not be here to stop you from doing what you may. Escape. Do not fight anything but the weakest of the Attendants. Every officer in this building is near my strength, and will try to stop you from leaving. If you fight them, there is a high chance they would succeed. Run. If that is what you choose. Should you remain in this room, I assure you that death won't reach you. But Hell awaits you no matter which choice you make. For whatever reason, War has set his eyes on you, to be his shield as I am his sword. He does not relinquish those he has set his sights upon freely. Run. And prepare yourself. He will send after you. And you will not escape unscathed." Footsteps come back into the room, a shadowed hand reaching out, long, thin fingers holding onto IronWing by it's elbow.**

**"I do not wish you to be put to waste. Not someone with great potential." He takes IronWing, handing it off to me. As I take it, his other hand flashes out, sword sliding out his scabbard, tearing through my bonds.**

**"Night... Why?" I ask, suspicion rooted in me.**

**"Death is a fruit, one enjoyed by he who reaps it. Beautiful, and delicious. I enjoy nothing more," he says, eyes narrowing and voice darkening, "than partaking in the Death of my greatest foes. I think you will be my favorite." Chills run up my spine.**

**"Fly, my adversary, so that I may see you in battle once more." He turns, a doorway of light suddenly opening and framing his silhouette in it's shape. It vanishes into the light.**

**I narrow my eyes, a cold weight growing in my chest as I slide IronWing's plates over my arm. Resolution. **

**I'm sorry, Rosa, Jay, Eren.**

**{Break in Text}**

"Wait here..." Jay mimics, "I'll be back with your friend in a moment. What a joke."

Rosa sighs, shaking his head at his friend's impatience.

"He said he'd be back soon." The pink haired boy crosses his arms, nodding at the massive, ruinous cathedral carved at the edge of a seaside cliff, amid ice and snow. The waves roar noisily in the background. Erie whines wordlessly, kicking her legs and arms,

"You guys are so BORING!" She screams, "When's that Ellys guy gonna come back with Am?!"

'That's my nickname for Amber...' Rosa thinks glumly.

{Break in Text. Bitch.}

_The main gate buckles, screeching in protest. Roaring in frustration. It's blackened steel slowly grows lighter and lighter in color, ice spreading over it rapidly. Ellys stands, middle finger gently pressed against it's knob, directly in front of the gate._

_The corpses of the gate's guards lie strewn around his feet, impaled on reddened spikes of ice._

_"We are not huntsmen, trained in body and resolve, nor wizards, trained in wisdom and mind." He recites, "But warlocks, trained to do but one thing." Ice grows around his feet, "Destroy!" Massive pillars of ice smash into the gate, shattering it instantly. _

_"I guess I should thank Pantheon for her training..." He says, quietly stepping over the rubble. A maimed body reaches out, wheezing and coughing, pinned beneath the debris._

_"Help... Help me..." Ellys' gaze falls onto his victims face._

_"Sure." Ice covers the entire area. He sticks his hands into his pockets, drawing out a cigarette and lighter._

_As he lights up he sings softly, out of key._

_"You are my sunshine..." He stomps on a face._

_"My only sunshine..." Over a freezing corpse._

_"_Hold on, Spring. Just hold on..." _His eyes say, muttering the statement to himself._

_**{THE TORGUE CORPORATION APPROVES THIS BADASS BREAK IN THE TEXT! BUT IT NEEDS MORE **__**CAPITAL LETTERS**__**AND **_**EMPHASIS****_! _**_Meewdlymeewdlmewyoooow!}_

**I'm sorry, but I can't take the safe road. I can't just sit back and let you all do the work. Hold on. I'm coming out.**

**My feet hit the floor, striding forcefully towards the door, that portal of light.**

**The moment I'm out, out into the blinding light, into the massive cavernous space, a grin fills my vision.**

**Muse pushes her lax body off from a pillar, fluidly sliding back and forth. A knife falls into her hand, it's mechanisms chirping.**

**"Good..." She sighs, voice overcome with ecstasy. "I WILL get to kill you, after all..."**

**I grip my armored fist, teeth baring as electricity arcs uncontrollably from my body to the ground. It coats the surface of my armored hand, the blades of it's plating singing softly.**

**"Funny..." I laugh to myself, "You took the words from my mouth. Muse, was it?"**

**{Break in Text}**

"Do not go gentle," Rin breathes, seated besides Carter, hanging midair,

"Into that good night." Her blazing, royal eyes reflect the smoking, cathedral like fortress, blackened by age and molded by time and the cold ocean's wind.

"Old age should burn and rave at close of day,

Rage and rage against the dying of the light." Carter's gaze falls on her childish frame, and into her ageless eyes.

"An old favorite?" He asks, eyebrows arcing against his scarred and worn skin, like old leather.

"Nah. Just one I came across a bit ago. Dylan Thomas."

_(That's it for now. I'll see ya'll again soon.)_


	35. Chapter 35

In retrospect, we don't have many good ideas. Assaulting a terrorist filled fortress with three teenagers equipped with what amounts to rudimentary combat gear is certainly not one of our brightest moments.

And then again, here we are. Standing on the hill overlooking what could have come straight out of an Atlesian superhero comic, some villainous citadel with just an archer, rogue, and a dashing healer. No matter how valiant my efforts may be, I severely doubt even I can make this work.

"You've got that look on your face again," Eren's hands grip his bow just a bit tighter, "Like you're asking yourself, 'how did I ever get HERE'?" A short breath blurs the air around my face,

"Listen, I love Amber as much as all of you guys. But honestly, what the hell have we gotten into?"

"Rosa, is there a point to complaining? You gonna say we shouldn't go in there?" Jay walks ahead of us, the air grim around him.

"Well-" My protest dies as soon as it leaves my lips.

"Well what," His knuckles crack, fresh and sharp in the cold air. "Come on. We don't have time to stall."

"How are we even going to get in there?!" I throw an arm to the side, voice louder than I had planned. "You see that? It's a castle! A mother-fucking castle! What are we gonna do? Run up the buttresses and break in through a window?!"

There's a lengthy pause, thoughtful silence.

"Actually," Eren's quiet voice says in a hushed tone, "that's not an awful idea."

You've got to be fucking kidding me.

(Break in Text)

"Well?" The air sparks with tension, neither she nor I moving an inch. "Aren't you gonna… Y'know, gonna attack?"

"Darling, as much as I want to see you bleed, I know when I'm at a disadvantage. You're a head-on, berserk, smash-everything kinda fighter. Clearly, I'll need to fight a little smarter than that for this to work."

Legs tensing, I bound at her, leaping through the air,

"Then I'll come for you!" Lightning strikes, my armored fist smashing into stone. Dust and rubble scatter, smacking the walls and filling the room. A soft laugh echoes on the chilled walls, the clouds of dust part to my left.

Spinning to throw a punch, the world tumbles and swirls, the floor above my head for just a brief second. Smashing back down, I catch my breath and my orientation.

"You okay, darling? This is why people always say not to roughhouse indoors, you could trip and get yourself hurt."

"Bitch…!" I snarl, stumbling up. Electricity shines in the dust, the clouds shining bright as mirrors.

"You really like that word, don't you?"

A roar tears out my throat, lighting striking out at the air surrounding me. With little grace, I go down on all fours. Armored talon smashing into the stone, I lunge forward through the air. The dust parts before me, and out from it a sinewy length uncoils midair. With a deft twist, the whip twists, it's end smashing into my stomach. A cloud of fog explodes out my mouth, clouding my view as I'm hurled by the force of the impact.

Struggling to recapture my breath, I struggle up to my feet. Suddenly, a weight crashes down on my shoulder, sending me back to the floor. Squinting through the dust in my eyes, I see stiletto heels not but a few feet away.

"See, if you were so insistent on lying down you should of just stayed in your room. We could have even arranged for a bed." Her knees bend as she crouches. Eyes locked, a moment of silence passes,

"What? Still not done, love?" Her face pouts, barely masking the glee in her eyes.

"Bitch…" A throaty growl claws out my throat,

"You have a pretty limited vocabulary, don't you?"

Red tints the corners of my vision, muscles tensing at her obvious provocation. Scarlet static sparks along IronWing's surface.

"Just sit down," Her wrist flicks, sending the whip airborne and hurtling towards my face. I pull my weight to the left, allowing inertia to take me to the floor. The whip's length sails clear overhead, making the air whistle.

I grab IronWing's side, it's scales shifting fluidly. With a crack of pent up tension, a single blast of directed force courses off of it's surface. The blast of lightning and steal strikes Muse directly in her stomach, her aura flashing with an intense light. For a moment, a barely conscious moment, all is still, the lightning shining in the dark, the dust motionless midair. The whip, still hanging overhead, the blast tearing at Muse's aura. Then, all at once, everything moved.

Muse was gone, her whip slapping the floor. A hole had been bored into the wall where she had been launched. The dust swept and billowed around the line of fire.

With staggering steps, I lurch towards the hall, getting away as fast as I can. I may be known for blind rages, but I'm really not in the mood to have my ass literally whipped by some psycho bitch. Not my thing.

((I know I took my time with this one, and it's a bit short, but hey, I'm out of practice. Thanks for tuning in, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter despite it's length.))


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